


He is the Moon

by NyteXade



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Fear of dark, Graphic Description, High School AU, Hurt, M/M, Nyma is the rapist, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pidge skipped a grade, Rape/Non-con Elements, Touch-Starved, but only once in full detail, keith is a new student, klance, lance and hunk are long time friends, may happen multiple times from her, nyma is into bdsm, rape chapter can be skipped, shiro is a senior, the others are freshman, trigger - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-10 19:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11698233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyteXade/pseuds/NyteXade
Summary: “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” –Mark TwainKeith Kogane has his own darkness which he prefers to keep hidden.  He is a new student at a new high school and is determined that his new friends not find out.  However, he’ll soon find out that there is a light in the darkness, much like the moon in the night sky.





	1. First Day as Freshman Part 1: Darkness

A slow tone echoed rhythmically through the room. Above that, all that was heard was the quiet, muffled sobbing of a young boy. His head was buried on a bed in front of him. Laying on that bed was a young woman, looking to be in her late twenties with a beautiful scarf wrapped about her head, concealing her hairline.

The boy looked up to see the gentle eyes of his mother. "W-why do y-you have to l-leave me, m-mommy?" His shaking voice cracked with emotion.

His mother brushed his cheek with a soft, weak touch. "I'm sorry," she spoke quietly, "It's my time to go, sweetheart. You be good for your father." She cast a loving smile to a man standing by the door.

Tears were streaming quickly down his face and sadness clouded in his eyes. The man's face, however, was contorted in anger, but he was unsure to whom his anger was directed. The world? For taking his beloved wife away? Himself? For not being able to do anything? However, as a long, sharp tone filled the room, that anger slowly twisted and was directed to the only other one in the room.

The young boy, of only 7, was shaking at his mother's side as she fell into a still sleep. He was unaware of the hardships _still_ to come.

* * *

"Finally! Freshman year! We are officially high school students my friend!" A tall teen patted his friends shoulder. His green jacket hung loosely on his skinny torso. His tan skin contrasted the white hood of his jacket.

His friend, a larger male, had a yellow t-shirt and headband on. "I know, man. I'm hoping I made it into that cooking class I signed up for." The male bounced on his toes. They both moved up as the line they were in shortened.

"Hunk, buddy, if we get all the classes we signed up for, we'll have almost the same schedules!" the smaller teen paused for a moment. "Except for electives," he grinned.

They both made it to the front of the line. A lady sitting at a table looked up. "Name?" she drawled.

"Lance McClain."

The lady shuffled through some folders until she found his name. she pulled out a pale yellow sheet of paper and handed it to him. She looked to Hunk. "Name?"

"Hunk Garrett.

The lady repeated the process and handed him a similar yellow paper. They both found an empty table in the commons area of the school to review their class schedules.

Lance looked over Hunk's shoulder. "Look at that! We both have Algebra first period." They both high fived.

"What do you have second period?" Hunk scanned his eyes over his friend's paper. "Oh, that's right. You already know Spanish so you had to take a different foreign language. So, we won't have that class together either," he shrugged.

"Nah, but hey! French! The language of romance." Lance stretched out the last word, sweeping his hands in front of him. He made finger guns ant a passing girl. "Bonjour!" He winked. The girl tsked and rolled her eyes. She continued walking with her friends. Lance smirked at his friend. "See? The ladies will dig it!"

Hunk grinned in agreement. "Hey, good thinking!"

"What have you got second? Cooking? Sweet! And we've both got Biology third period so you better save me some good food." Lance grinned and bumped shoulders with the larger teen.

"Oh, yea totally. I'm sure I'll have enough to save for you."

The two longtime friends continued compare schedules until the bell rang at 8:00 for first period. They shuffled through the halls with the flow of the crowd. They found their classroom and Lance took a seat at the back. Hunk argued that sitting at the front would be better. They both agreed to sit in the middle. The first period went by fairly easy and really boring. The teacher just discussed the syllabus and what's to be expected in the class. The first day is always the same. The teacher's introduction finished and he began on the first algebra lesson. However, he didn't get two minutes into it before the bell rang.

"Saved by the bell!" Lance jumped up quickly and headed out, followed by Hunk. Lance headed to French and Hunk to Cooking.

Both classes go pretty much the same as the first. The teachers give a simple introduction to the class, then spend the rest of the time reviewing the syllabus. Lance began doodling in his spiral about halfway through his class whereas Hunk was intently listening to his teacher's words.

Second period was over at 9:40 and they had a ten minute passing period. The two friends found each other and proceeded to Biology.

"Man, that was boring." Lance breathed out. "I hope this class is better." He slumped his shoulders.

Hunk slapped a hand to his shoulder. "Well, we've got this one together at least." He smiled.

"Name?"

The two of them looked up at their teacher. Lance gave his name.

"Fourth row, third from the front. Name?" He looked at Hunk. He waited for his answer then said, "First row, first chair."

Hunk and Lance looked at each other. "Assigned seating?!" Lance's shoulders slumped more. "Who does that in high school?" He sighed and headed to his seat.

"Sorry, man." Hunk shrugged and sat down.

Everyone arrived and the tardy bell rang; the process repeated and the teacher began his introduction. After getting about two minutes into the syllabus review, the door to the classroom opened. A boy with a cropped red jacked walked in. He had a very reserved posture and seemed kind of quiet. He kept his gaze toward the floor and long black hair fell just below the nape of his neck. Lance looked at Hunk and nodded his head towards the new kid. Hunk just shrugged. The boy explained something to the teacher and handed him a note. The teacher pointed him towards his seat. He walked over and sat right across from Lance in the fifth row.

The teacher continued where he left off, and class went on like normal. He wasn't sure why, but Lance kept glancing to the side. He would look over once in a while at the new kid. After a closer glimpse at the boy, he noticed he was real slender but well built. Eventually, the boy laid his chin down on his forearms, still looking at the teacher but barely paying attention. Lance didn't hear anything the teacher was saying the rest of class.

When the bell finally rang, the boy draped his backpack on one shoulder and slid out from his desk. As he stood, he accidentally kicked over Lance's bag.

"Hey!" Lance stood up, gesturing to his overturned bag. "You gonna apologize, mullet?"

The boy looked caught off guard at the confrontation. He opened his mouth a few times, stuttering a bit, before mumbling an apology and walking away with his eyes down.

Hunk approached from behind. Lance turned to him. "Did you see that? How rude! He didn't even care!"

"You know, it could just be because he's shy," Hunk suggested.

"No excuses!" Lance pointed a finger at his friend.

Hunk smiled. "Come on, buddy. We've got Geography next."

* * *

"You should be grateful for everything I've given you, boy! And you deserve everything that's coming." A large man drug a small boy by the arm down a hallway, his words slurring slightly.

Tears were streaming down the boy's face and he could feel the man's large fingers leaving bruises. He knew what was coming; his father always did this to him when he smelled like those weird drinks he always had. He always gave him the same speech and believed he deserved all of it.

The man continued talking. "It's your fault, boy! It was the stress of raising a thing like _you_ that sent your mother to an early grave!" He threw the child into a closet.

The boy's head hit the wall as he fell to the ground. He started shaking. Even though he knew what was going to happen, he was still terrified.

The man stood in the light of the open door, looking down on the young boy. "She's gone now and it's your fault! Don't ever forget that! So now you can experience the same darkness that she is now in!" He slammed the door shut.

The boy heard the lock clicking from the outside. His knees were drug to his chest and he buried his head. He hated the dark; he was _terrified_ of it. He was thrown in there all the time, and every time his fear got worse. He curled up in the corner of the closet, desperately trying to muffle his sobbing. His father would get angry if he heard him crying. Silence surrounded him making his ragged breathing sound even louder. The darkness grew thick as he felt much smaller. Not for the first time, he wondered if his mother was in a happier place now that she was rid of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who are following my other Voltron fic, Violet Transformation, I haven't forgotten. I am still planning a sequel to it. For now however, I'll be writing on this story for a bit. This is the first AU story I've done! :) Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	2. First Day as Freshman Part 2: Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After skipping the eighth grade, Pidge has all new classmates. However, she quickly makes new friends... two of which already seem to have met.

Every day was the same yet always different. He dreaded waking up every day because he never knew what was going to happen to him next. Yesterday, he was nothing more than an ashtray for his father; small round burns littered his back. Each new punishment was a daily reminder of how _he_ caused his mother's death two years ago.

He already cleaned up the mess of bottles left by his father. He ate the last bit of cereal and went to get the laundry from his father's room. His father was usually in a better mood if he did the chores _before_ he woke up. With an armful of clothes, he walked around his father's bed. He tripped on a shirt and fell against the bed. His father woke with a start.

"Boy, watcha wakin' me up for?!" He pushed the boy to the ground. "An' don't touch me. No one wants a thing like you touchin' them." His words were long and draw out as he stretched and stood up.

The boy grabbed the laundry and hurried out of the room. After completing his chores around the old house, he made himself some lunch, a small sandwich and chips. Over the past year he's been slowly learning to take care of himself, his father had given up. Standing on a chair and trying to pull down the loaf of bread, he accidentally knocked a plate off the counter and it shattered. The boy's eyes widened.

"What in th' hell was that?!" His father came storming into the kitchen. Seeing what happened, he promptly grabbed the boy's arm and led him down the hallway. Needless to say, he ended up in the closet that whole night. "This'll make you think twice b'fore breakin' my dishes!" The boy watched from the corner as the door slammed and locked and he was once again thrown into complete darkness, left to wander in his own thoughts.

* * *

"Hmmm. Room, uh… oh, 247." A small figure was wandering through the hall after fourth period already started. She held her schedule, finding the room she needed. She looked up at the nearest classroom. "203? Uugghh." She slumped her shoulders and continued on, looking for her room. Finally finding her it, she burst with no amount of subtlety. "Sorry. There was a mix-up with my schedule and it wasn't corrected until today." She handed her schedule to the teacher.

The teacher took the paper and adjusted her glasses as she read the name. "Katie Holt?"

"Oh. Yea, you can call me Pidge." Pidge took a seat at the front next to a slender black-haired boy.

"Ok, uh 'Pidge', for future reference, if you are late to class, please keep it quiet as to not disrupt the lesson."

"Lesson? Oh! Sorry, I thought it was just syllabus day." She dropped her bag and pulled out a spiral.

The teacher made a face but said nothing further on the matter; she continued from where she was interrupted.

Pidge leaned over to the boy. "Hey, I'm Pidge." She held out a hand.

The boy looked at her hand, a bit nervous, but chose to just wave to her. "Hey, I'm Keith." He looked her up and down. "Um… you look a little, uh, young to be a freshmen."

Pidge withdrew her hand with a small amount of confusion. "Oh, yea I skipped the 8th grade. That kinda caused the mix up with my schedule."

Keith formed an 'O' with his mouth.

She noticed the paper on his desk. It was a sketch of something. Some kind of vehicle maybe? "Hey, what's that?"

Keith looked down. "Oh, uh, nothing." He pushed the paper under his arm. "It's stupid."

"Awe, come on. It looked really neat."

"Well, it's a, uh, design I'm working on for a… hovercraft." Keith mumbled the last word.

"Really! That's awesome!" She spoke a bit louder than she wanted.

"Pidge." The teacher stopped her discussion again, glaring at the girl in front.

She gave a crooked grin and shut her mouth. The teacher continued.

Pidge leaned over and whispered this time. "Anyway, that really is awesome. You like building things?"

"I like motorcycles and have always wanted to build one. Then I came up with this idea. I just don't have the time or money to build what I want so it's just that, an idea. But I read a lot on bikes and engineering." A small smile adorned Keith's face.

They both spent the rest of the class discussing some of Keith's designs and some of Pidge's own inventions. When the bell rang, Pidge stood and patted a hand to Keith's shoulder. He flinched at the touch but tried to play it off.

"S-so, did you bring your lunch or are you getting cafeteria food?" Keith grabbed his bag and headed towards the cafeteria.

"Nah, I'll be getting the _always delicious_ cafeteria food. How 'bout you?"

He looked caught off guard by the question. "I've got a lunch in my locker," he said quietly.

"Alright, cool."

They made their way through the halls and Keith split in a different direction to his locker. Pidge headed to the cafeteria. She got in line between two boys who were chatting away, completely oblivious to everything around them. She heard the larger one mention a robotics club.

"Robotics?!"

The two boys stopped talking and looked at their interrupter.

"Oh, u-uh, hi." She grinned a bit guiltily.

"Hey! Haven't seen you before. You new?" Lance smiled and held out a hand in greeting.

Pidge shook his hand. "Only to this grade. I skipped the 8th grade."

"Woah, that's awesome. So you must be like a genius or something!" Hunk looked impressed.

"Well I wouldn't say 'genius' but yea, I'd say I'm pretty smart." Pidge shook Hunk's hand. "I'm Pidge, by the way, and you were saying something about a robotics club?"

Hunk gave her all the information on the club, the three of them got acquainted after that. They all continued through the lunch line and sat together at an empty table at the back of the cafeteria. After sitting down, Lance noticed Pidge looking intently around the crowd of students sitting and eating.

"Hey, what's up? You lookin' for someone?" Lance caught her attention.

"Oh, yea, I met someone last period and said we sit together at lunch."

"Cool. The more people the better!" Hunk said right as Pidge stood up.

"Oh! There he is!" She started waving her arm. "Keith! I'm back here!"

At the sight of their new company, Lance's eyes widened. "You?"

Keith's eyes widened slightly but sat next to Pidge all the same.

"You two know each other already?" Pidge directed the question to Keith but it was Lance who answered.

Lance crosses his arms in a huff. "We might."

Hunk, however, reaches a hand out and smiles. "I'm Hunk. Grumpy pants here is Lance."

"Keith," he waves, ignoring the outstretched hand.

Hunk shrugs and retracts his hand.

"Keith has some awesome designs for a hovercraft!" Pidge brags and after a bit of convincing, Keith finally pulls out his designs to show.

Hunk is really interested and they continue talking, hitting it off as immediate friends.

Lance, on the other hand, continues to grumble, something about 'stupid mullet'.

* * *

The sound of clicking and the door opening abruptly, startles him out of his restless sleep. His father grabs him from the floor of the closet and carelessly pulls him down the hallway. After spending all night in that dark closet, he didn't get much rest. His sight was still a bit blurry and his mind was groggy. After being pushed into the kitchen counter, he finally begins to hear what his father is saying.

"Do you hear me, boy?! Get these dishes done and don't you break another one!"

He quickly nods and gets to work as his father leaves and he hears the front door shut. He pulls out the little stool kept beneath the sink so he can reach the dishes more easily. After finishing that chore, he goes into the living room to find his father walking through the front door with a scraggly looking puppy in his arms. The boy's eyes widened and his lips twitch up a bit as though he had forgotten how to smile.

"Here," his father said gruffly as he dropped the puppy into the boy's arms. "Keep him out of my way or I will take him to the pound," he added threateningly.

The boy nodded quickly. He jumped forward to give his father a hug for this gift.

His father quickly pushed him backwards. "What do I tell you, boy?! No one what's a thing like you touchin' them!" Disgust laced his voice. "Now take that thing to your room."

The boy rushed to his room. He found some old food and water bowls already there and a small bag of dog food. This little puppy, with shaggy black and grey fur, quickly became the boy's best friend. Many long nights would soon be spent with little Rover; nights filled with crying, talking, whishing, shaking, pain, and sometimes just silence. He begins to wonder why his father would suddenly do something like this for him. He knows he certainly doesn't deserve this heaven sent gift. What he _doesn't_ know is that he will soon find out the cruelty behind his father's reason for getting him that dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter up! I hope it's going good! Not much else to say! :) Until next time,  
> NyteXade


	3. First Day as Freshman Part 3: School Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school continues and Keith meets another possible friend.

Now in fourth grade, the boy comes home every day happy to see his Rover. The dog sits with him as he finishes his homework and eats a sandwich for dinner. One day he comes home only to receive a slap as soon as he walks in the door. His father mentions how he had received a call from his teacher saying he got detention for getting into a fight with another boy.

"B-but that boy was bullying ano-" His explanation was cut off by another slap from his father.

"I don' give a shit who the boy was beatin' up on! Tha's his business!" He drug the boy to the closet locking the door.

He was beginning to expect that. What he wasn't expecting was to hear a sickening thud against a wall and the pained whimper of his best friend. "Rover…" the boy whispered. When he heard another thud and more whimpering, a heartbreaking scream escaped the boy. "ROVER! NO-OO!" His voice cracked from his own pained cries. "LEA-VE H-im al-one." His voice died off with his crying. He screamed, begged his father to leave the innocent dog alone. The last thing he heard was something hitting the closet door. He saw a shadow fall to the floor. He reached his fingers beneath the door to feel the rough fur of his best friend. "R-Rover. I'm here." The boy whispered through the door. He could feel the dog breathing but feared for his future in that hell-hole of a home.

* * *

The bell rings, signaling the end of the lunch period. Pidge, Keith, and Hunk end their conversation to head to their next class. Lance mumbles a 'see ya' to the others before following Hunk. However, when they all notice they are heading in the same direction, they give each other a bit of a suspicious look. They all pause outside the same classroom.

Lance points between himself and Hunk. "We've got English for sixth period. So, I don't know why you guys are following us."

Pidge smirks. "That's funny 'cause I've also got English."

"Me t-"

"No, no no, no. Don't even finish that sentence." Lance interrupts Keith. "There is _no way_ we have this class together, too!"

"Uhh…" Keith isn't sure what to say.

Pidge lets out a huff that sounds vaguely like a laugh. "Come on, Keith. Just ignore him." She makes her way inside the classroom with Keith following. Lance pouts as he sits next to Pidge, Keith sitting on the other side of her. Hunk takes a seat behind Lance.

Once the tardy bell rings, there isn't much more room for talking between the four as their teacher begins her discussion immediately. Shortly into her discussion, Lance found his gaze slowly drifting to the dark haired boy two seats over. He watched as Keith laid his chin on his forearms, still keeping his eyes on the teacher. A few strands of hair fell into the boy's face and Lance watched as he gently brushed them back behind his ear. For just a brief second, Lance thought he saw a bruise on the boy's neck but it was quickly covered by more hair. Was it a bruise? A hickey maybe? No. Lance pushed that thought out of his mind. Purple eyes connected with blue as Keith caught him staring. A soft but sad smile appeared on Keith's face as Lance quickly looked away. When he looked back over, Keith's eyes were back on the teacher. He watched those deep purple eyes, eyes that were filled with sadness. He couldn't help but wonder how someone as young as him could hold such deep sorrow in his eyes. He didn't even realize how long he'd been staring until the bell rang for the end of class.

Lance shook his head, coming back to the present. He made his way out of the room with Hunk, not really listening to his friend's words.

* * *

Lance made his way to his next class. It was his first elective. Just for the fun of it, he had signed up for dance as his PE credit. He wasn't sure how he'd like it but decided to try anyway. Once he arrived at the dance studio classroom, he heard the instructor informing the others that there was no need to change. He was saying they aren't going to be doing any movement until next time. Lance sat on the floor of the studio with the others. His mind soon wandered back to Keith.

The bell ending seventh period rang at 2:50. Keith, Hunk, and Pidge just finished Spanish together and headed their separate ways. Keith had JROTC for his second elective. He pulled out his schedule while walking to look for the classroom number. With his full attention on his schedule, he ran right into another student, papers went everywhere.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Keith continued mumbling apologies, helping pick up all the papers and books that dropped.

"No, no. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going and I should probably have a bag for all this anyway."

Keith finally looked up, handing over the papers. The other student was much larger than he was. He was well built and had dark hair. Keith noticed the subject of most of the boy's papers. "So, uh… piloting?"

The other smiled softly and chuckled. "Yea, I've always liked flying and would like to be a pilot one day."

"Oh, me too." Keith smiled.

"Really? That's great! Uh, what class are you headed to?"

"ROTC." Keith found his schedule in the mess of papers and continued looking for his room number.

"Wow, well I could walk you there. That's exactly where I'm headed." He motioned down the hall. "The name's Shiro, by the way."

"Keith."

* * *

As first days go, this was definitely one of Keith's better ones. As he made his way home, he just couldn't help the smile that still remained on his face. He'd made friends. Or, at least, he'd like to think he's made some friends. Lance… may take some time, but he has Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro, the senior he met before ROTC. He's made friends before, but they never last. Things happen, and he usually ends up alone. He wants his time to be different. He really likes them.

His thoughts continued on about his new friends. Before he knew it, he was staring at the front door of his house. Keith lives about a mile and a half from the school, but he doesn't mind the walk most of the time. As soon as he saw the car in the driveway, the smile adorning his face slowly fell. _He's home early._ His eyes dropped to the ground as he approached the door. He opened the door slowly as to not wake his father, assuming his father was knocked out on the couch again. Turns out his assumptions were correct and several empty bottles lay around the couch as well. He continued silently through the living room and turned down the hallway. His head turned away, eyes closed, as he passed small closet, unable to even look at that place. He closed the door behind him as he entered his room. Dropping his bag on his chair, he sat on his bed staring at a small bowl. It was battered and dented and a name across the front was faded and barely readable: Rover.

* * *

The ring of a phone cut through the sound of snoring. The phone was picked up and answered with a very groggy voice. "What?"

"Oh, um, Mr. John Kogane? This is Jane Gibbs. Keith is in my homeroom class."

"Wha's he done now? Gotten into another fight?" John interrupted.

"Well, no. Not that I am aware of. Actually, I'm a bit concerned. Keith has been much quieter in class lately and he also seems to have some bruises. I'm worried that it may mean possible bullying. I-"

"Keith is the bully. I've already dealt with his fighting."

"Oh. No, that's not wh-"

The man hung up the phone and turned down the hall. "Boy! Have you been tellin' your teachers 'bout what goes on here?!"

"No! I didn't! I never said anything!" A young Keith stood from his bed and backed into a corner. Rover quickly scurried beneath his bed. His father's large hand wrapped around his neck, pushing him against the wall. "P-ple-ase." Keith clawed at the hand around his neck. A small bark was heard beneath the bed.

John dropped Keith and he fell to the ground. "I should have never gotten you that damn mutt." He turned towards the dog but was blocked by Keith holding his arms out between him and the dog. "Boy, get outta my way!" Tears streamed down Keith's face but he didn't budge. He slapped the young boy across the face before dragging him to that dreaded closet.

Keith squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his hands to his ears, unable to listen to the painful cries of his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, even though I'm sure you all guessed it, it has now officially been revealed that the young boy at the beginning and end is indeed Keith. Yep, not a pretty childhood. Please review! Tell me what you think! Until next time,  
> NyteXade


	4. Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is invited out with everyone but is afraid of what his father'll say.

After surviving the first week of freshman year, Keith and the others quickly became good friends, including Lance (however reluctantly at first.) Shiro began joining them at lunch as well and lunchtime became their social hour. That's where they all got caught up, discussed upcoming tests, made fun of each other (Lance mostly), and just all around had fun.

It is now a few weeks into school and they are all at their usual lunch table at the back of the cafeteria. Lance was sitting, listening to the others talk. Hunk and Pidge were talking about a robotics club meeting coming up. Shiro was listening to them as well, interrupting once in a while with his own comments or questions. Lance found his attention wandering to the only other quiet one at the table. Keith had his attention on his drawings in front of him. He is always sketching new concept art for his 'bike' or altering old designs. He was listening, Lance could tell by the way his eyes would glance up sometimes, but didn't really join in on the conversation. Lance has come to learn a lot about Shiro and Pidge. Pidge is really smart with computers and tech stuff. Shiro, a commander in ROTC, is studying to be a pilot. With Keith however, he's hardly learned anything about his likes, dislikes, hobbies, home life, etc. What he has learned is that the slender boy usually has the same thing for lunch every day, a sandwich and some chips. He flinches when touched and avoids touching others. He doesn't smile much and when he does it is very soft and small like he's afraid to smile. Lance would bet all the money in the world that that boy's smile could light up a room. Lately, Lance and the others have been hanging out after school on Wednesdays at a local burger joint. Keith however, never joins them. He always has some reason as to why he can't join. Lance must have been staring because Keith finally spoke.

"Lance?"

Lance looked up at the sound of his name. The soft voice carried over from where he was staring. He shook his head a bit to return to reality. "Oh, uh… huh?"

Keith furrowed his brow. "Are you alright? You look pretty deep in thought over there."

Lance didn't even answer Keith's question, instead asking a question of his own. "You gonna join us at The Burger Palace today?"

Keith looked a little caught off guard at first but then looked away, avoiding everyone's gaze on him. "I, well, uh…"

"Come oooon." Lance whined a bit but smiled. "You never come with us when we go."

There was a pause. "Actually," Pidge pondered for a moment, "he's right."

"Yea, Keith, we'd all like to have you there." Hunk smiled brightly at him.

Shiro nodded in agreement. "They've got some excellent burgers there."

Thought still reluctant, Keith resigns. "Alright. I'll, uh, ask my dad after school."

The others cheered.

* * *

The rest of the day goes on and Keith is hardly paying attention in his classes. The only thing on his mind is having to ask his father to go out with his friends. The last time he asked his dad to invite a friend over, he laughed in his face, not believing anyone would be his friend. He hasn't asked him since then and that was almost six years ago. He wasn't sure how he'd react now and he dreaded his reaction, but he really liked these people. They were good friends to him, he has fun with them at lunch, and would like to be able to go out with them outside of school. That's all he could think about while going from class to class.

In ROTC that day, Shiro could tell something was off with him. He was quieter than usual (if that was possible) and hardly paid attention, that was unusual for him. He always paid attention in ROTC and was one of the best students in there. Towards the end of class, when they had some time, Shiro tried to talk to him.

"Hey, what's up?" Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him flinch a bit under the touch. He moved his hand away. "You seem quieter than usual. You know we weren't trying to be pushy or anything at lunch? I mean, we were," he smiled jokingly, "but it was all in good fun."

"Oh, yea I know." Keith smiled softly. "I'm alright. I promise," he lied.

* * *

Walking home, Keith's brain is going a mile a minute, unsure of what to say to his father. He sighs in slight relief when he sees his father is still at work. That gives him more time to think of what to say. As soon as he walks in he starts cleaning house, making it look spotless. He does the dishes, takes out the trash, does the laundry, cleans all the rooms, and sweeps and vacuums. He runs down to the store down the road and buys a case of his father's favorite beer (the store clerk knows his father and sells to Keith). Keith fixes a small dinner with what food he can find.

As soon as he is done cooking, his father walks in. He drops onto the couch looking around. He notices the house, the folded laundry, the case of beer on the coffee table, and looks up to see Keith bringing him food. He sighs, annoyed, and pops the cap to a beer. After taking a long swig, he finally looks to Keith. "What d'you want now, boy?"

Keith fidgets with his hands a bit before finally speaking. "Well, uh… some friends invited me out tonight. I was w-wondering if I could, uh, g-go out with them." He tried to muster even a _bit_ of conviction but failed miserably.

There was a pause. A thick silence hung over the two of them until his father finally spoke. "What did I tell you 'bout friends?" He stood up from the couch, looming over the shorter teen. "Boy, nobody wants to be your friend and you don't deserve friends anyway." As he began approaching him, Keith backed up until his back hit a wall. "You really think that just 'cause you cleaned a bit and cooked, that I would forget what you've done?!" He reached out and grabbed that long black hair in his fist. He started dragging him down the hall while Keith grabbed at his father's wrist, screaming. He knew exactly where he was being taken. He was thrown into the closed and the door was slammed shut. He heard three clicks in succession as his father locked the door as well as the two added locks. "Maybe this'll remind you who's to blame for you mother's death!" he heard his father say as he walked away.

He may be older but he always feels like his seven-year-old self when he's back in this closet. He curled into the same corner, eyes squeezed shut, and whishing he'd never asked.

* * *

Once again, Lance found his attention swaying back to the black-haired teen. He was no longer listening to the biology lesson. All he could see of Keith, however, was his hair falling loosely around him. His face was buried in his arms and has been since he arrived. Lance was beginning to worry. He normally has his head down anyway, that's true, but he usually at least continues to listen and pay attention to the teacher. This time it doesn't even seem like he's trying. Lance has to wonder if he's fallen asleep.

When the bell rings, however, Keith is the first one up and out the door, not even sparing a glance to the tan boy. Keith heads straight to Algebra for fourth period. He receives a cheerful greeting from Pidge but he doesn't reply. He simply takes his seat. She happens to mention not seeing him last night but he just looks away and buries his face. Pidge frowns, confused and worried for her friend, but doesn't say anything further.

When lunchtime comes, Keith sits down and starts sketching. He has no lunch with him this time and the others exchange worried glances.

Hunk shrugs to the others and turns to Keith. "Hey, buddy. We're sorry you couldn't make it last night. We're going out again if you want to join." Hunk gives a bright smile.

Pidge nods in agreement. "Yea! It's okay if you couldn't make it. We've got all year, plenty of time to hang out."

Before anyone could say anything else, Keith packs his stuff and leaves beginning to feel his eyes sting.

* * *

At 10 years old, Keith finally made his first friend at school and bravely decides to ask his father if he could invite him over. Even at this age, he walks to and from school. He makes it home and begins cleaning house until his father gets home from work. When his father walks in, he drops onto the couch and props his feet up on the old coffee table. He notices little Keith standing in front of him, fidgeting. That's when he also notices the recently cleaned house.

"What d'you want, boy?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Well I, uh, wanted to invite a friend over-"

He couldn't say much else before his father burst out laughing. Keith flinched from the harsh, unkind sound.

"Friend?!" his father barked before laughing again.

Keith could feel his eyes beginning to sting.

After a minute, his father stopped. "You really think you've got a friend?! Ha! That ain't a real friend!" He stood up, towering over the small kid. "Ain't no kid wanna be your friend!" he chuckled a bit more a left into the kitchen.

Keith ran to his room, tears threatening to fall. He dropped to the floor beside his bed and pulled his knees to his chest. He needed is best friend back, his little Rover who always kept him company during times like these. He stared at rover's bowl. It has been sitting in the same spot, empty, for a few months now. He missed him so much. He buried his head in his knees as tears soaked his jeans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, not a whole lot to say about this chapter. But I've had this idea for something later in the story and wanna know y'all's opinions. I was thinking of including some sexual abuse towards Keith (not by his father tho). What to y'all think? Yes or no? Until next chapter,
> 
> NyteXade


	5. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finally gets to see Keith outside of school when they meet at his house for a school project.

Every day and every class period, Lance always finds himself thinking about Keith. He finds himself watching Keith in class, keeping mental notes. He is just always so quiet and reserved. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just seems… _off_ for Keith. Even in classes without Keith, he always seems to be thinking about him. He is still making it through classes (with Hunk's help, of course) but just always has Keith on his mind. He just can't help this feeling that something is wrong… _very_ wrong.

* * *

Ever since that day, they hadn't mentioned anything to Keith about going out. They felt they had just made him feel worse, so they didn't say anything else about it. Lance couldn't help but think Keith had wanted to go with them but something was stopping him, _something bad._

Lunchtime has somewhat returned to how it was. Keith was talking again and eating as well. Lance had started worrying when Keith stopped bringing a lunch for a little while. As it was, he hardly ate anything anyway. He started bringing food again but it was still a simple sandwich and chips. Lance wondered if he even had any other food at home.

His eyes widened when a horrible thought occurred to him. He shook his head. _Nah, that probable isn't what's happening._

So far, Lunch had gone well. They were all talking and discussing their day, Keith included.

"So we've got our first project in English." Lance finally chimed in, looking at Keith. "Pidge and Hunk have already partnered up." He shot Hunk a glare, who just smiled and shrugged back. "So you wanna be my partner?" Lance grinned.

"Oh, uh, yea. That sounds good. I don't have a partner yet anyway." Keith smiled.

 _His smile is starting to get just a bit brighter,_ Lance thought and returned a smile. "So…" he wasn't sure if he should ask this but, "do you wanna, like… come over? Or I could come over?" Lance saw Keith freeze for a second. He must have just realized what the partner work meant. "Well, 'cause, you see..." Lance continued, trying to explain a bit, "We won't be able to do it all with the time we have in class. Some of it will have to be done outside of class." He saw Keith look down at his food seemingly deep in thought.

There was a short pause before Keith responded. "I guess you're right. Uh, how 'bout your house this Sunday. But I'll have to leave at exactly 5."

"Alright," Lance smiles, "that sounds like a plan!" The bell rings, signaling the end of their lunch period. "We'll sort out the details next period."

* * *

The last ten minutes of English was set aside specifically for working on their project. That is when Lance moves to the desk behind Keith to sort out their plans for Sunday.

"So," Keith must not have noticed Lance had moved behind him, because he startled when he heard the other boy start talking. "We've got a three part assignment over The Scarlet Letter."

"Y-yea." Keith turned sideways in his desk to face Lance a little better.

"We have to choose four important quotes from the book to analyze, design and create the scarlet letter from the book, and we… uh…" Lance thought for a minute, "Shit, I forgot what the last part was."

Keith smiled at him as he pulled out the rubric for the assignment. He set it on Lance's desk so they could both see. "The last part is to create a diary entry from the point of view of one of the characters."

"Oh yea," Lance grinned and continued reading the assignment. "It says it can either be from the point of view of either Hester, Pearl, Roger, or Dimmesdale." Lance thought for a minute. "Ok, we could easily split the work evenly." He pointed to Keith before continuing, "You seem to be good at designing, so you could do the scarlet letter design. I could do the diary entry. Then we could each choose two quotes to do."

Keith nodded. "That sounds fair."

"Cool! We can start on it this Sunday!"

Then the bell rang and they both headed out for their next class.

* * *

During dance class, once again, Lance couldn't concentrate. This time it was because of their plans for Sunday. He was excited to finally hang out with Keith outside of school, but at the same time nervous. He was nervous because his family could be very loud and crazy sometimes. Seeing as Keith is very quiet and reserved, he feels like he might be a bit uncomfortable at his house. Though, Lance knows that his family will love him. They are just that kind of family, warm and welcoming. He lives with his parents, two younger sisters, and a younger brother. He has an older brother, Mateo, but he has already moved away to College. His dad will be gone this Sunday so it'll just be his siblings and mom.

He eventually realizes his body is moving automatically with the rest of his class, so he gets through class with relative ease, despite being in his own thoughts most of class time.

* * *

Lance hears a soft knock at the door around 2 pm on Sunday. Before he can answer the door himself, however, his eleven-year-old sister gets there first.

"Laaaance! There is a handsome boy at the door for you!"

Lance's eyes go wide as he picks up his pace to the door. He can feel heat rising up his neck. He reaches the door and sees his sister grinning evilly at him. "Dios mio, Maria! Shoo!"

She giggles and skips away, mumbling something about 'boyfriend'.

Finally, he sees Keith standing on the porch looking a little red himself. Lance laughs, a bit embarrassed. " _Sisters._ " He motions for Keith to come in. "That was Maria, an absolute pain in my ass."

"Lance!"

Lance flinched when he heard the reprimanding tone of his mom. "Ay, lo siento, mama."

A plump lady, about a head shorter than Lance, came into the room holding a dish rag. "What have I told you about those words in front of your younger siblings?" Just as she said that, another little girl came into the room behind her.

Lance sighed. "Keith this is my other sister, Sophie, and my mom, Rosa." He saw Keith smile softly at the two. Lance turned to his mom. "Mama, this is Keith. He's my partner for my English project."

"Aaah Keith, yes. I've heard about you." Rosa smiled. She walked up to him and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Ay, you are so skinny. You need meat on your bones."

Lance could see Keith stiffen under her touch but smiled a bit sheepishly.

Lance cleared his throat to get Rosa's attention. "So, where is Henry?"

Rosa dropped her hands, turning to her son. "Oh, he's with Maria. Something about playing the Incredible Hulk." She chuckled then put her hands up to shooed them off. "Okay, you two, have fun working on your project. I've got to get started cooking."

Lance smiled back at her and led Keith to his room. Lance dropped onto his bed and Keith sat at his desk. It was a somewhat tidy, a few things scattered about. There was a small desk, a bed, a couple bookshelves with anything _but_ books on them, and a dresser with a TV on top. It was simple and nice.

"So, how'd you even get here? I never heard a car pull up." Lance finally broke the somewhat awkward silence.

"Oh, uh, I walked."

Lance's eyes widened. "What? Really? We could have picked you up."

Keith shook his head. "Oh, no. It's fine really. You aren't that far from me."

"Alriiight." Lance gave him a bit of a suspicious look but decided not to push further. "Well I guess it's time to get started!"

* * *

Most of their time was spent talking, with Lance telling the occasional joke. He was hoping to get Keith out of his shell a bit. They did get some work done however, so the evening wasn't a total waste. Keith was mostly working on his letter design while listening to Lance, chiming in with his own comment once in a while. Around four-o-clock, Rosa came into the room saying dinner was ready.

Lance got up and headed for the door. He looked back when he noticed Keith wasn't following. He was still sitting down, sketching out his design. "Uh, hey, you coming?"

Keith looked up at him looking confused. "Oh. I'm eating too?"

"Well, yea! You think I would just leave you here while we all ate?"

"Oh uh, well I don't want to take your food." Keith looked down at his hands in his lap.

"Dude. There is more than enough food to go around. I promise," Lance replied mater-of-factly. Keith still looked a bit unsure but followed anyway.

Rosa and the siblings were all already sitting at the table when they come it. They both sit down, Rosa says grace and tells them to help themselves. Everyone digs in, chatting happily, and Lance notices Keith hesitate a bit.

After a moment, he finally asks, "W-what are these?"

The whole table gets silent, looking at Keith. Lance sees him shrink a bit under the attention.

Maria spoke next, sounding completely unbelieving. "You – you don't know what tamales are?"

"Maria." Rosa spoke with a warning tone. She looked to Keith. "It's alright, hon. Help yourself to any of the food." Her smile was warm and comforting.

Keith filled his plate with a couple tamales, rice, and beans. Lance notices he has no problem clearing his plate and asks for seconds, a bit sheepishly. His mom smiles and Lance know she takes that as a compliment that Keith wants so much of her food. Lance couldn't help but think there was more to it. His thoughts only seem to be furthered when Keith clears his plate a second time but doesn't ask for more. It seems Rosa was about to say something when Keith shot out of his chair.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry. I've really got to go." Keith goes to the sink to rinse off his plate. Rosa tells him not to worry about that.

Lance finally notices the time: 5:03. Before Lance can say anything to Keith, he's bolting out the door with his bag in hand, expressing his gratitude for the meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No memory this time, sorry. There will be more though. So Lance is definitely beginning to suspect something. He just doesn't know what yet. Let me know what y'all think! As for me, well… I'm sure some of y'all have heard about Hurricane Harvey. Well, I am in one of the affected counties from the hurricane. I will say that I have not experienced too much flooding in my area. Thank the stars! Hopefully it stays that way. If anyone reading this is also in an affected area, please stay safe! Until next chapter,   
> NyteXade


	6. Locked Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith deals with the consequences of sneaking out of the house while Lance is worried about his 'crush'.

A thick silence hung over the three friends in Biology on Monday. Pidge and Hunk were not really sure why there was such a thick silence but both had a feeling that the other knew. They both looked to the tan boy. Lance was twisting a pencil between his fingers and staring at something non-existent.

"Uh, Lance?" Hunk finally broke the silence. It was currently group work in class anyway so they were allowed to talk with their group members. The three friends were sitting with their desks facing each other in an improvised circle.

Lance dropped his pencil when he heard his name. "Oh, uh. Huh?" He bent down to grab his pencil off the ground. When he came back up he saw the other two staring at him. He sighed. "Sorry, guys. I'm just really worried about Keith."

"Oh~"

Lance looked up at Hunk's odd tone, an eyebrow raised.

"Is someone worried about his _crush~?"_ Hunk had a teasing tone to his voice.

A knowing grin spread across Pidge's face. "Ohhh, so _that's_ what's wrong here."

Hunk grinned and nodded to her, still looking at Lance, growing redder by the minute.

"That's sweet, Lance. Your crush misses one day of school and you are worried sick." Pidge lays a head on Hunks shoulder mockingly.

Hunk wraps his arms around Pidge in mock comfort. "I know, it's almost too cute to watch." Then they both broke into a fit of quiet giggles.

"N-n-no! W-wha- No! He-he's not my cru- NO!" Lance finally studdered out, then buried his face in his hands.

* * *

Lunch was fairly quiet and Lance wasn't paying much attention anyway. He walked to English with Pidge and Hunk but didn't really hear them talking about his alleged crush on Keith. They were given time at the end of English again to work on their project. Lance watched Hunk and Pidge get to work. His diary entry was already finished, along with his two quote analyses. Keith had the designs to letter, so all that's left is Keith's quotes. Lance decided to go ahead and do those for Keith so he didn't have to worry about them when he gets back.

* * *

Keith expressed his thanks for the meal as he rushed out of the door. Tears began to fall before he could stop them and fear began filling his body. He knew his father was always out on Sundays until 5:30 – 6:00, but he didn't want to take the chance. Running all the way home, he finally felt some relief when no car was in the driveway. As he rushed into the house, he checked the time: 5:23. _Just barely made it_. He dropped onto his bed, panting, trying to catch his breath. Not a minute later however, he hears the front door slam and the dreaded sound of his father yelling his name. Keith's eyes widened. His father must have already been coming down the road and saw him running in.

"-et your ass outta that damn room!"

Keith stiffened, knowing what was to come, but obeyed his father's words. He knew things would only be worse otherwise. He walks into the living room to see his father standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You know, you've been getting' a lotta nerve lately. Askin' to meet 'friends. _Sneakin' out of the house."_ John's tone was malicious and heated. He jabs a finger to Keith's chest as the boy backs into a wall. "This ain't your house boy! You're place is to be here doin' your chores!" John's eyes widen just slightly as he straightens back up. Some semblance of a smirk could be seen on his face. That look sent a chill through Keith. "Well," John began again, his voice had an eerie fake kindness, "seeing as you haven' been earnin' your place around here with chores, it seems I'll just have to find somethin' else."

Keith shuddered at that. He could tell, by the sadistic glint in his father's eyes, that he already had something in mind for him.

Suddenly, John's face regained its harsh composure. "Until then," he continued, swinging a hand out and slapping Keith to the ground, "you need to learn your lesson here and now." John kicks him while he's down (in more ways than one) and Keith rolls, holding his stomach. Rough gasps escape Keith as he tries to regain his breath. John picks the boy up by the throat. "You know I hate that sound," he growls out.

Keith grabs at the hand wrapped around his throat, trying desperately to gain some air. He is dragged down the hallway and thrown into that closet. His head spins form the impact and barely hears what his father says as he closes and locks the door.

"Stay in here for another day! You don't deserve to see those 'friends' of yours!" John laughs as he walks away.

Keith tries to keep his eyes open but between the choking, kick to the stomach, and hitting his head on the wall, he found it very hard to stay awake. He soon falls over as his consciousness is consumed.

* * *

Even though it wasn't Wednesday, they all decided to go for burgers after school anyway. Shiro, Hunk, Pidge, and an unusually quiet Lance were all on their way to Burger Palace. Lance finally decides to speak and of course it is about Keith.

"So, uh, have any of you even heard anything about Keith's home life?" The others looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to explain. "Well, I mean, we've known him for a couple months now and he has hardly said anything about where he lives, his family, what he does at home. I don't even know if he has any siblings!" The three look at each other but Lance continues, quieter this time. "What- what do you all think about that?" He looked at the others, eyes wide and sincere.

Hunk and Pidge shrug, unsure of what to say. Shiro answers by mirroring the question. "Well… what do _you_ think about it all, Lance?"

Lance looks down a bit as they all enter the doors. " 'm not sure," he mumbles. _I'm not entirely ready to tell them my suspicions yet,_ Lance thinks inwardly _._ _It's too early, and besides… I don't have any_ real _proof just yet._ By the time Lance looks back up, they are at the counter, ready to place orders.

"Can I get the veggie burger and a small drink?" Hunk smiles and pays the clerk.

"Veggie burger? Really?" Pidge gives him a sideways look before ordering. "I'll take the deluxe bacon cheeseburger basket with everything on it." She grins at Hunk before paying.

Shiro simply rolls his eyes at Pidge's expression. "I'll take the cheeseburger basket." After he pays he looks to Lance, who seems a bit distracted. He nudged him.

"Huh? Oh. Uh, I'll take the cheeseburger basket. No tomato and onion rings instead of fries." After he pays, they all sit down at a booth.

"Dude, you are so distracted today. What's up?" Hunk takes a seat across form Lance. Pidge next to him. Shiro drops down next to Lance across form Pidge.

"I dunno." Lance drags out the word. "I just feel worried that something is wrong with Keith."

"Lance, I'm sure he probably just isn't feeling good, so he stayed home to get some rest. Anyway, why did you want to know where he lives?" Shiro turned slightly to face Lance as he sipped his drink.

"Eh, it was nothing important. I just wanted to check up on him." Lance laid his chin on his arms.

When their orders were ready, Pidge and Hunk got up to get them. Shiro was quiet for a moment.

"Well…" Shiro hesitates a bit before continuing, "I, uh, might be able to get you his address." As he said that, the other two sat down with the food. They seemed to have heard what he said because they were all looking at him expectantly. Shiro clears his throat. "Everyone in ROTC has to fill out forms when they join; these include personal information such as their address. Being a student officer, I have access to those forms online."

Lance's eyes are widening with hope. "Can you-"

Shiro put a hand up. "I am not supposed to use my access for personal use." He sees Lance's face fall. "However… I – have been worried about Keith as well." He pulls out his phone and, in less than a minute, has Keith's address up on his screen.

"Yes! Thanks!" Lance quickly jots down the address, finishes his meal, then heads out of the restaurant.

* * *

Laughing and happy chatting filled the room as Keith and another young boy sat on his floor. John was at work and Keith promised a friend in his fifth grade class he could see his room. He snuck the boy in after his father had left. He kept a constant eye on the time so he could sneak the boy out before his father got back. Knowing he usually arrives about 5pm on weekdays, he was going to have his friend out of there by 4:30.

They had been playing a homemade board game (made from paper and markers) when he realized he hadn't checked the time in a while. It was 4:56. Keith shot up from the floor, urging his friend to hurry out his window. As soon as the window flew open, he saw that familiar old car pull into the drive. Keith freezes at the look on his father's face. His friend was already out the window and standing in the front yard.

Still frozen, Keith watch as his father chased his friend off before storming inside. He was thrown to the ground as soon as his father came into his room. He knew his father was lecturing him about sneaking a friend over, but all sounds just seemed so muffled. All he could feel at the moment was pain, pain in his stomach, across his face, in his shoulder form how he landed, and more pain just kept coming. Eventually it all stopped. When he finally came to enough to see where he was, it was no surprise to find himself back in the closet. Needless to say, that boy never spoke to him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven’t noticed, I have added a rape/non-con warning to this fic. If it isn’t something you want to read, you will be able to skip that part. If you haven’t already, please check the tags for this fic again. I have added several new ones about the upcoming rape scene. If you have questions/concerns please leave a comment, I will reply! Until next time,  
> NyteXade 


	7. Confirmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance makes a visit to the Kogane house. Things don't go well.

Lance finally arrives at the Kogane house. As he pauses to catch his breath _(I don't know how Keith can take that distance every day to school!)_ he takes in the look of the house. It's definitely an older house. The paint is chipping off some of the trimming on the outside. The yard is mowed but other than that, not very well kept. There is nothing outside other than a car; no chairs, flowerpots, nothing. Finally, when he feels like he can speak again, he knocks on the door (the doorbell had been disconnected it seems).

A tall, older man answered the door. His clothes had stains and his hair was a mess. His hand was rubbing the scruff on his chin as he looked down at Lance. "What? Who are you? Why you here?"

Lance was taken by surprise at the man's rude voice and composure. "Oh, well I – I'm a friend of Keith's from school. He uh, wasn't there today so I just wanted to che-"

Lance was interrupted by a harsh laugh form the man. "So, the boy actually does have a friend! Ha! And I thought he was just makin' shit up!"

Lance's expression was a mixture of shock and anger.

"Wait here boy." The man turned back inside before Lance could really react.

* * *

Blinking away the drowsiness, it takes Keith a minute to remember he was still in the closet. By this point he wasn't sure how long he'd been in there. As he slowly got up, he pushed himself into his little corner, bringing his knees up. He stayed that way, with his face buried, for who knows how long. If felt like several hours, probably all day. He knew he definitely missed school today.

A knock at the front door knocked Keith out of his stupor. He heard his father answer. After that, the next thing he heard was his father's harsh laugh, something about him actually having a friend. Keith's eyes widened. _Oh no._

He hears the front door close and approaching footsteps. He looks up when the door opens. His father automatically grabs him by the upper arm and drags him out of the closet. His fingers digging severely into his arm. Keith holds in a whimper.

"Alright, boy. Get rid of him." John shoves him to the front door.

* * *

Lance waits outside, hoping the man went in to get Keith. He hears shuffling before the man says something Lance can just barely make out. " _-boy. Get rid of him."_ That doesn't help Lance's anger any. When the door opens, he jumps a bit but relaxes in relief when he sees it's Keith. That relief is short lived, however when he _really_ sees Keith. His eyes are on the ground, refusing to look up. One of his hands is rubbing the other arm where it _looks_ like there may be bruises forming. He looks almost afraid to speak.

"H-hey Keith, ho-" He sees Keith flinch away when he reaches a hand towards him. Lance drops his hand down. "Uh, how are you doing?"

"Y-you've got to go."

Lance blinked. "Keith?"

"P-please."

When Keith finally looked up, Lance's heart almost shattered. His eyes were pleading and tearful. Around them were puffy and red. The look in his wide eyes was so fearful, Lance couldn't even find his voice for a minute. "I-I- wha-" his voice cracked. _Get rid of him_. Those words shook him. He cleared his throat. "Alright. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

Keith's nod was so small, anyone could have missed it. Not Lance, though. No. He was paying attention to every single minute detail of this precious boy in front of him. With confirmation from Keith that he will be at school the next day, Lance turned and left, sparing one final glance back as Keith closed the door. Just as he was walking off, he could hear that same voice saying something else. He paused to listen.

_"_ _-eed friends! Don't let me see him around here again!"_

Lance growled.

* * *

The next day went by so slowly. Keith didn't say a word to him all day. He avoided everyone's gaze, didn't sit with them at lunch, and wouldn't answer any questions. The only time he said anything to anyone was when he thanked lance for finishing their English project. It had been such a small, simple thank you, but Lance could hear more from it. Keith was sincerely grateful. He hadn't been able to do his quotes and he needed the good grade. He was so relieved to find out Lance had finished it for him.

Other than that one grateful exchange. It was almost as if Keith wasn't even there. But Lance knew otherwise. Keith was hard for Lance to forget. And now… now he knew that his suspicions are confirmed. He still didn't know the extent of the situation, or how long it has been happening, but he knows. He knows now that Keith is being abused by his father.

* * *

Keith hated cutting off his friends like that. But after what happened on Monday, he thought it better to push them away now, especially Lance. Better to do it now before they found out something they shouldn't. Honestly, he was surprised Lance hadn't already given up on being his friend. Usually, once someone found out how rude and mean his father was, his 'friends' tended to stop talking to him after that. So, he was grateful to Lance for not doing that, but Lance didn't need to worry about him. Lance deserves to be happy and worry free just like when they first met. Now, he always seems to be concerned over Keith. Not that that is a bad thing, but Keith knows he doesn't deserve his worry and concern.

So, after what happened, he avoided his friends. Because of that, this had been the longest week of his life. He wants so desperately to talk to his friends again, to hang out at lunch laughing and talking about anything and everything.

He just… doesn't deserve friends like them.

Keith was brought form his thoughts as he turned down a hall of the school. The last period had already ended so the halls were pretty empty. That is, except for the four people he saw down the hall from him. They had yet to notice he was there. There were three larger guys surrounding someone smaller, who was backed against the lockers. It took Keith a minute to realize it was Pidge. He stood frozen for a second until he saw the middle guy grab her by the waist and pull her into him. She was lashing out with her hands. _Keith saw red_. He rushed forward and landed a punch to the middle guy's face. Pidge fell out of his grip. As soon as he hit the ground, the other two jumped at Keith. Keith was knocked into lockers before he fell to the ground. The guys continued attacking him, Pidge screaming at them and pounding on their backs, until a teacher came down the hall. The three guys took off running as the teacher rushed to Keith.

Keith stood up slowly, brushing off the teacher's help. He turned to Pidge, panting. "A-are you o-okay?"

Pidge looked taken aback by Keith's complete disregard for his own injuries. "Keith! I'm fine but you need help!"

"She's right, Keith," the teacher began, "You need to get to the nurse, I'll worry about those boys."

Pidge had already explained what happened to the teacher, that Keith was just protecting her. _When had she explained all this?_

Keith shook his head. "I'll be fine. I've got to get home." With that, he headed down the hall and outside, ignoring the calls from Pidge and the teacher.

* * *

Needless to say, his father was pissed when he found out Keith had gotten into a fight. He tried to explain that it was for a friend but his father wouldn't hear anything he said. He was grabbed by the hair and told to stay in his room.

"And don't let me hear about you fightin' again! For _any_ reason! Who those kids choose to beat on is their business!" John slammed his bedroom door shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Lance finally knows… not the full extent, but he knows. Also, don't hesitate to relay any ideas you may have. I'm always up for new ideas. Even if they are for the Violet Transformation sequel. I'm currently planning that out so ideas are always helpful. A bit of a mix of fluff and angst next chapter! Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	8. A Light in the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has always hated storms and is usually used to dealing with them alone. This time, however, he finds a light to guide him.

Keith packed an extra set of clothes in a plastic bag before heading to school. It had been raining all night and was still raining now. With no other way to school than to walk, he knew he'd need to change by the time he got there.

About halfway to school, he started hearing thunder in the distance. He was completely drenched by the time he made it to school. Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro looked at each other, all wondering the same thing. _Why was he even walking to school in this weather, especially with thunder looming in the distance?_

Pidge was the first to speak up. "Keith, you're gonna get sick like that." However, Keith simply waved a hand at them and kept going to the bathroom. The others looked at Lance as he got up without a word and followed Keith.

After emerging from a stall, with dry clothes on, Keith found Lance leaning against the bathroom wall.

"Hey. What's up?" Lance had a kind, gentle smile on his face.

"Oh uh, just changing into some dry clothes." Keith had tied his wet clothes into the plastic bag he had. He knew that Lance knew something about his situation. He wasn't sure how much, but he was grateful he didn't ask questions. Keith looked in the mirror and frowned.

Lance chuckled. "Yea, your mullet is still a sopping mess."

With that remark, Keith shook his head, swinging his hair form side to side and splattering Lance with rain water. He smirked at the indignant look on Lance's face.

"Was that really necessary?" Lance wiped his face with a paper towel before turning back to Keith.

Keith smiled and had the most innocent look on his face.

"Anyway, do you need supplies for today?" When Keith looked at him, Lance felt his heart jump. He had this sincere look on his face, eyes wide with slight confusion. _Sweet Jesus, this boy is adorable!_ _He's like a lost puppy!_ Lance ignored his thoughts and continued, internally cringing when his voice cracked a bit. "Well I just mean," he cleared his throat, "I noticed you don't have your backpack with you. Did you want to borrow some stuff from me for the day?"

Lance watched the confusion disappeared from those violet eyes. "Oh. Thanks, but I actually have some extra supplies in my locker." The small smile Lance received made his heart squeeze. They headed back out to the others in the commons, waiting for classes to start.

"What happened to you?" Hunk pointed to the wet spots scattered around the tops of Lance's shirt.

Lance sighs and points a thumb to Keith. "Fido over here decided to shake out his hair out… on _me._ "

They all laughed at Keith's smirk just as the bell rang for first period. They all waved each other off as Lance and Hunk headed for Algebra, Keith and Pidge headed for Geography, and Shiro headed to Brit Lit.

* * *

As the day went on, the storm only seemed to get worse. The rain came harder as the lightning grew brighter. The lightning and thunder were only about a second apart now. This storm seemed to be the main subject of talk at lunch. Keith hated it; he hated the sound of thunder and flinched anytime he saw a flash of lightning, mainly because he knew thunder would follow. He wasn't entirely sure why he hated it so much, but it certainly set his nerves on edge. He thought he was doing a good job of hiding his fear of the storm. That is, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Lance had been watching Keith through lunch. He _seemed_ fine for the most part. However, he noticed Keith flinching at any flash of lightning or tensing at the sound of thunder. They were such small movements, the others easily missed them, but they did not go unnoticed by Lance. When he placed a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him, Keith flinched, a bit harder than his reactions to the lightning. Lance retracted his hand.

"Oh, sorry, man. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh um yea, I'm fine. Th-thanks." Keith smiled as he got up to throw some trash away. He didn't even have to sit back down as the bell rang.

* * *

When English started, the teacher was announcing that she had finished grading their projects. Keith looked up, hoping they made a good grade, not that he really contributed to the project much. The teacher called their names and Lance walked to the front to get their work. As he sat back down, he had a grin on his face.

"What? What'd we get?"

Lance turned the papers to him. The top page had 100% written in big red numbers along with a 'good job!'.

Keith smiled. "Great. It's all because of you Lance."

He was so sincere that Lance was even more excited to show him the next part. "I wouldn't be so sure." He pulled out one of the papers and handed it to Keith.

Keith blinked. It was his scarlet letter design. It was a large scarlet A in a calligraphy style. It had swirls of reds and a shining gold trim. At the top of the page was a sticky note. _'Beautiful design! Probably the best one I've seen!'_

The smile that spread across Keith's face made Lance so happy, yet... so sad. He was so genuinely proud of his work receiving such a compliment, but at the same time he was so genuinely surprised at having received one. It was almost like he didn't believe he'd done such a good job. At that moment, Lance wanted to always make Keith feel like all the work he does is absolutely worth such praise.

Lance looked over to see Hunk and Pidge high-fiving. Pidge held up their paper to him: 95%. He heard Hunk say something about Pidge's grammar.

Suddenly they all heard a loud clash of thunder just as the whole school was thrown into darkness. Lance rolled his eyes as there were a few screams. _What are we? 3_ _rd_ _graders?_ He could hear the teacher trying to calm everyone down just as cell phones were being brought out. The classroom was filled with a dim light as Lance took out his own, seeing Hunk and Pidge do the same. He shined his light up and noticed Keith wasn't in his desk.

"Keith?" Lance stood up. His questioning call caught the attention of Hunk and Pidge. Not the rest of the class, though. They were all in their own conversations about the blackout and paying no attention to the three friends searching the back of the classroom.

"Keith!"

Lance looked at Pidge, who had dashed to a nearby corner. She crouched down next to someone.

Lance and Hunk dashed over as well. His heart broke as he saw Keith. His was backed into the corner, knees pulled up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them, face buried, and his body was shaking ever so slightly.

When Pidge laid a hand on his knee, he flinched and lifted his head. "Keith?" she spoke so quietly and gently. Tears were streaming down his face and around his eyes was red and puffy.

"Hey, buddy. It's just a blackout from the storm." Hunk's soft voice barely reached the boy's ears before he buried his head again.

Lance waved at the two to get their attention. He motion silently, asking to give him some time with Keith. The two nodded before backing away. Lance sat with his back against the wall next to Keith and set his phone down for a bit of light. He crossed his legs with his hands in his lap. He knew Keith didn't like touching, or at least, didn't seem to. He flinched at the slightest touch, no matter how gentle, and always apologized profusely if he accidently touched someone else. Now, knowing what he knew, Lance couldn't help but wonder if _someone_ was feeding ideas into his head.

Lance wanted to get angry, but now was not the time. Keith needed someone. So Lance sat there and talked. He just simply talked conversationally about anything and everything, as if nothing was happening. He praised Keith on his letter design, saying it wasn't surprising to him after seeing the designs for his hover bike. He made fun of Pidge's grammar, saying it was the only thing that kept them from 100% their project. He thought he heard Keith chuckle at that. The casual talking seemed to distract him a bit, though he still jumped when he heard thunder.

Hesitantly, Lance place a hand on Keith's back. Keith flinched, but only slightly, so Lance left his hand there. As he began rubbing circles in his back, Keith seemed to calm down. He felt the tension leave his muscles; he was surprised when he felt Keith leaning _into_ his touch. Slowly, he eventually drifted towards Lance and leaned into his side. Lance had his arm around him, hand on Keith's arm, pulling him close.

"I wish you would talk to me," Lance whispered near Keith's ear. His only response was a small nod.

After a moment, Lance looked up to see Hunk and Pidge whispering something to each other and smirking. As soon as they saw Lance glaring at them, they quickly turned away, still smirking. Lance rolled his eyes.

When Keith continued moving and eventually ended up laying in Lance's lap (much to Hunk's and Pidge's amusement) Lance finally realized he'd fallen asleep. He smiled softly at the peaceful look on his face. That only lasted a minute, though. When he noticed his breathing hitch and his eyes squeeze harder, he wondered if he was having a nightmare. Lance started running his fingers through his soft hair, brushing it out of his face. He continued combing his hair gently until he seemed to calm. They stayed like that for who knows how long. (He's pretty sure he saw Pidge snap a picture on her phone)

* * *

When the lights finally came back on, Keith was startled out of his sleep. As he sat up, it took a minute for him to realize the position he'd been in. His face turned a furious shade of red. Lance thought he looked so cute when he's flustered like that. He stood up apologizing, and Lance just smiled at him. He couldn't help but wonder if he remembered his words before he fell asleep. _I wish you would talk to me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some angst with a bit of fluff. An alternative title I had thought about for this chapter was Talk to Me. If y'all like that better then I might change it. Let me know! Also, the next chapter will be fairly short, but the chapter after will be up pretty quick. This story isn't getting as many reviews as I had hoped. I hope everyone is enjoying the story. :/ Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	9. Sold

In the days following the power outage, the storm slowly died down, getting smaller each day. Keith also noticed his father staying later at work and coming back a bit happier. He wasn't sure why or what was different but he knew he shouldn't question it. Granted, 'happier' is a bit of a relative statement, seeing as his father wasn't a very happy man to begin with. For the most part, really, he just ignored that Keith was even there.

* * *

"I better not come back to you sneaking out again!" John jabbed a finger at Keith. "If I do, you'll be in that closet for a week this time!" John never missed going out on Sundays and he wasn't about to start now. The boy will learn his lesson one way or another. "Besides," that bone chilling smirk found its way back to John's face, "I've got plans for you tonight." Keith could feel the fear settle into his stomach as his father headed out the door. He _really_ didn't want to know what kind of _plans_ his father had.

During the hours his father was gone, Keith made something to eat, did some drawing, and then took a nap till his father got home… not that he could really sleep. He was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, when the front door opened. He looked at the time: 6:23. He's home late. That _can't_ mean anything good. He heard his name called and promptly obeyed.

This time, it wasn't just his father standing in the living room. Next to him, he had his arm wrapped around the waist of a tall, blonde woman. Her hair was in high pig tails on the back of her head. She had on torn jeans, boots, and a tight shirt. She was looking at him with a hungry expression, her elbow resting on John's shoulder.

Keith looked to his father, but it was the woman who spoke.

"MMMmmm. Yeess. He will most definitely do." She smiled, but it was not a kind smile, and held out a small roll of cash to his father. "You know I like 'em young."

"Alright." John nodded to her before looking back at Keith. "Boy, this is Nyma, and you will be all hers tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's coming sooner than I originally planned. Next chapter will have a warning to come along with it. PLEASE SKIP it if you are uncomfortable with reading anything like that. I will summarize it. I'm honestly nervous about posting it. It is only the second time I've written a scene like that. Next chapter should be up within the next day or two. Sorry for the short chapter. Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	10. Earning His Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John has a new way for Keith to earn his keep at that house, to finally be useful for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: rape/non-con during this whole chapter. If you need to skip this chapter, PLEASE DO SO! Skip to the notes at the end to get a brief description about what happened.

"It's time for you to be useful for something around here." John dragged Keith back to his bedroom before tossing him to his bed. He handed Keith a cup of water and a pill. "Take this and strip."

Keith hesitated. He wasn't sure if he'd just heard his father right. He watched as his father began 'cleaning' up around his room, tossing anything he found into a bag and throwing it in his closet.

"Boy, I said strip and take the pill!" he yelled when he noticed Keith hadn't moved. Without hesitating, Keith popped the Viagra pill into his mouth. John then tossed a small bag to Keith's bed. "You are Nyma's for tonight and therefore will wear what she wants you to wear." As Keith stripped off his clothes, his father pulled out what was in the small bag. It just looked like a bundle of leather straps. Just as Keith's red boxers hit the ground, John started strapping him into some harness of sorts.

He started from the bottom. There was a cup that covered his crotch with some straps that wrapped around his upper thighs uncomfortably then pulled between his cheeks. A longer, wider strap trailed up the center of his torso and connected to a choker that was secured around his neck. From that center strap, several more were connected that wrapped around his sides and connected at the center of his back. Two bands were secured around his arms just below his armpit. Those also connected to the center strap, restricting the full movement of his arms. There was a loose hanging strap on either of his hips as well as one hanging form the back of his neck. Two leather bracelets were also strapped onto his wrists. Long, sheer red fabric hung just above his crotch and his ass, hanging low and loose almost like a loincloth.

Keith knew what was happening as soon as he started stripping. Tears threatened to fall and soon would. Not long after his father started on that… harness… tears quickly streamed down his cheeks. His body was almost limp as his father manipulated his limbs and torso to secure that thing on. After he was finished, John began running a comb through his long hair, pulling at any knot there may be.

Finally, John stopped and took a step back, almost as though admiring a masterpiece. "Well, well, well. It's about time you look somewhat presentable for a guest." He looked at the boy's face. "Dry those up," he commanded, "you don't need to be lookin' so pathetic." With a mockingly gentle voice, he continued, "Nyma is our guest and you will treat her as such. I would like for her to come back so don't ruin this for me."

Keith rubbed away his tears as his father left the room. Not long later, Nyma walked in wearing a short one-piece lace lingerie, shutting the door behind her.

"Mmmmm, you do look delectable." She licked her lips. "Shall we get started then?" With that she pressed Keith on the shoulder, causing him to fall backwards onto his bed. She straddled his lap, running her hands up his arms and to his neck. She cupped the back of his head before pulling him into a very passionate kiss. Her tongue fought for entrance and was promptly shoved to the back of his throat, exploring the space. His face was forced into hers as she continued; Keith gagged. She heard a choked whimper escape her toy, hot breath entering her mouth. She backed away just an inch. "Oh~ we don't need that, now do we?" She pulled out another leather strap form her pocket. "Guess we're done with the kissing already. Pity." She forced the strap between his teeth, wrapping it around his face and securing it behind his head. He could feel the gag pulling at his hair painfully. "Much better~" Nyma hummed as she tugged at the side of the gag letting it snap back to his cheek.

She ran her fingers through his hair then slid her hands down his back. She plucked at the straps between his cheeks before gripping them, forcing his groin into her. She then dragged his wrists behind his back. The loose straps at his hips and neck that were mentioned before? Well, now he knows their purpose. The strap at his left hip was secured behind his back to the bracelet on his right wrist and vice versa. Then the strap hanging from his neck was secured to both. This combination not only kept his hands bound behind him, but also pulled at the choker around his neck. He could feel it cutting into his air, allowing just enough room for him to continue breathing, however painfully.

Finally, she turned him and pushed him onto his bed, his hands pressing awkwardly into the small of his back. She dragged his legs onto the bed as well before ripping off that sheer fabric from the front of his harness. "We don't need this there." Her tone was sickly sweet. She slid the fabric beneath his head, wrapping it loosely around his neck like a scarf. "Now _that_ looks hot." Still straddling him, she bent down and tugged at the choker with her teeth, then licked up his neck and beneath his chin. Keith's eyes squeezed shut, trying his hardest to keep his eyes dry, per his father's orders. He felt himself becoming hard involuntarily. It was becoming painful as the cup was still strapped to his crotch.

After feeling him beginning to tense, Nyma hummed knowingly. She slid her hands down to his crotch, her face still nuzzled, sucking at his neck. He felt a few clicks around his groin and felt instant relief from the pain between his legs. That's when he realized she'd removed the cup and dropped it to the floor. The frame from the outline of the cup still pressed into his crotch. He felt her caressing his penis and couldn't help the small moan that escaped his lips. "P-lease st- _ah~ ahhh~_ " It made him sick. She hummed in satisfaction, and he felt her hot breath on his neck as she spoke. "Seems I got the timing just right." She smiled into his neck and started nibbling at his choker again. He felt her fingers again, but it was different this time. Something slick was being pulled over him… _a condom,_ he thought fearfully. This time he couldn't help the tears that fell as she lubricated him.

When she felt the wet drops, she lifted her head. "Oh, baby. Don't worry. This will be just as pleasant for you as it is for me." She sat up fully this time as she finished applying the condom. After slipping off her lace gown, she dug her fingers beneath the straps at his thighs and pulled. This caused the frame in his crotch to press harder. Keith winced. _"Ahh~"_ Her hands moved back down and, with some assistance, Keith felt himself enter her. " _Nnn~"_ Nyma smirked in satisfaction as she let go and began pressing into his groin. She gripped his hips as she began grinding into him. Moans of pleasure pulsing with the rhythm of her actions.

Keith tried arching his back, as his hands were beginning to go numb, but Nyma pressed her hands to his abdomen forcing him back down. He couldn't stop the painful groan that escaped him as his hands were being crushed between his back and his mattress. Nyma smirked.

Then with some swift movement, Keith wasn't sure how, Nyma had turned herself a full 180 degrees. All he could see was her smooth back and ass. She hooked her hands beneath his knees and pulled them up to her bare chest, leaning on them as she continued with her pleasurable movements. With his legs in that position, he could feel the straps being pulled tightly between his legs. When he tried to lay his legs back down, out of pure instinct to avoid the pain, she held them firmly in place. "Yeees~ I like a little fight in my toys," her voice bounced with her movements. She grabbed his ankles and pulled them right up against his own ass, bending his legs awkwardly and painfully, causing him to buck his hips upwards. "Ooohhhh~" Her grip on his ankles didn't loosen, however, as her nails dug into his skin. While there, she strapped another cord around his ankles, wrapping them several times before securing it.

When she finally did let go, is was so she could twist back around to the front. She pulled at the ends of his improvised 'scarf' causing him to choke. She smiled before pulling up the center of the scarf, arching his neck up so she could suck at his lips. His neck straightened back out as she pulled the ends of the scarf off and tossed it away. She grabbed the straps that connected his arms to his torso and clenched them in her fists. That caused the bands around his arms to dig into his skin. When he thrashed weakly, it only seemed to encourage her. She pulled again causing another weak fight from him. She chuckled and let go of the straps. He could still feel her rubbing against his groin.

She leaned down and bit at the large center strap. When she tugged at it, it snapped back against his chest. She trailed her tongue across his pecs and up to his collar bone, nuzzling her nose into the side of his neck. Her hands slid up his sides and beneath his armpits. She slid them beneath his back and pulled at the central strap beneath him. This cause the entire harness to tighten around his body and neck. He whimpered to her delight, and she did it again, her face still buried in his neck beneath his chin. He could feel her tongue against his skin. Her hands slid lower, pulling again at the straps threaded between his cheeks, causing him to buck his hips again. " _Nnn~"_ Sounds of pleasure escaped Keith involuntarily. He hated not feeling in control. She seemed to like that as she continued to thrust his hips into her.

She lifted her head, looking at his face. Approval twisted her features as she saw his flushed cheeks. She bit at his lips, tugging harshly until she drew blood. Then she sucked at it, sweeping her tongue across the emerging blood. Keith tried to clamp his jaw shut out of reflex but the gag prevented that. She sucked at his bottom lip a few seconds then ran her tongue along the inside of his top lip, tracing his gums and teeth. She backing away just an inch. She licked her lips in pleasure before trailing her tongue from his top lip, up the bridge of his nose, and up to his hairline. At this point, her bare breasts were pressed right up to his chest, her body flat against his. She slid her chest up until his face was buried between her breasts.

Her hands were now at the back of his neck, arching it upwards. He tried shaking his head, but she only seemed to like that. She slid back down and started sucking at his hairline, slowly making her way to his ear. She nibbled at the top edge, tugging at it before trailing down to the lobe. When she spoke, he could feel her hot breath in his ear. "Mmm, these would look soo good if they were pierced." His eyes widened. From somewhere next to them, presumably his nightstand, she pulled out a small metal rod with a pointed end. She arched her back and lifted up her shoulders so she could see him better. "Luckily I have just the thing." She grinned.

Soon, he could feel the rod being forced through his lobe. He tried to scream but is was severely muffled by the gag in his mouth. Once it was pulled out, she sucked at the lobe until the blood had stopped. She threaded a stud earring into his ear before securing the back to it. "Don't want those to close up now do we?" She then moved onto his other ear. He felt the point pierce his lobe and could hear his muffled screams. Once again, she sucked at it, her tongue caressing the piercing, until the bleeding stopped. She secured a matching earring into his ear. He heard the rod clink to the ground as she lifted back up, appreciating her work. "Now that is precious." She placed a sucking kiss to his forehead before moving to his neck. She found a good place before sucking at it, pulling his skin into her mouth and tonging the spot.

Keith's body was now shaking from muffled sobs. She only used that to her advantage. She sat up; her movements got smaller but faster, almost matching his shaking. " _Aaah~ a~ ahh~"_ At this point, Keith was in too much pain to care about what his body was doing against his will. Her hands groped his hips and back. This went on for a long, painful moment, he isn't sure how long exactly. She stopped and placed her hands on his pecs to push herself up. " _Nnnn~"_ A moan escaped him as she lifted off his penis. "Well… it seems we are done for the day," she said in a mock disappointment. She bounced her breasts at him and threw her hair behind her shoulders as though primping herself. As she stood up from her straddle, she continued talking. "Well, sweetie, I'll be sure and tell your father I got my money's worth from you. I'm sure I'll see you again." She blew him a kiss and smiled as she slipped her underwear back on and headed out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is. It was came out much longer than I really intended. Please let me know what you think. If you skipped this chapter, all you need to know is that Keith was put into a leather 'harness' of sorts (cause that's what Nyma is into) and Nyma had her fun. She told him she got her money's worth and said she'd be back before leaving him with his wrists and ankles still bound. The next chapter pick up right after Nyma left his room.  
> Don't judge me :( Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade  
> P.S. I will respond to reviews next chapter.


	11. Numb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's mind feels numb and his body feels dirty.

Keith remained in the same position he was left in. He was in shock from what had just happened, not that he could really move much as it was. His door opened, revealing Nyma (back in her actual clothing) and his father.

"See, hun. I told you. He was completely cooperative." John nodded and smiled as he led her back down the hall by her waist, shutting his bedroom door again.

Sobs racked Keith's body. After a moment, Keith finally tried to move. All he could really do, seeing as his hands and ankles were still bound, was roll onto his side and then his stomach. He remained there for a moment, working on flexing his hands to regain some feeling. Once he did, he fumbled with the straps until he heard something click. The strap form the back of his neck came loose. After that he was able to remove the other two straps. Weakly, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, removing the strap form his ankles. His legs dropped off the side of his bed. He sat frozen for a moment longer before standing up. He reached behind his neck and pulled the gag out of his hair, flexing his jaw at the release in pressure. He removed the bracelets, dropping them to the floor. He undid the bands on his arms and they hung at his sides. Unhooking the choker also unhooked the central straps in the front and back. The harness dropped, hanging at his waist. He had to pull the straps from his cheeks and in his groin before letting it fall to the floor. He pulled off the condom, a pool of white in the tip, and dropped it into the bag the harness was in.

His legs staggered a bit, his whole body finally beginning to feel numb, as he made his way to his discarded clothes, pulling his pants back on. Slowly, he made his way back to his bed before his legs finally gave out. He dropped to his mattress before seeing a light come on outside the window. When he looked out between the blinds, he saw the front porch light on, casting a dull light on his father and Nyma making out. Keith squeezed his eyes shut. Clumsily, he made his way to the hall bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror, shirtless.

There were deep red marks covering his body, leaving behind a ghost of the harness on his skin. Aside from that, there were hickeys on his neck and red handprint marks on his hips. He could feel the cut inside his bottom lip from her teeth. The gag left a deep mark across his face. Then he saw the earrings, only just feeling the ache in his ears. He pulled the studs out and tossed them into the small trash.

He made his way back to his room just before he heard the front door open. He shut his door and listened. He heard his father in the kitchen for a minute. _Nyma must have left,_ he thought before hearing his father's bedroom door open and shut. Once he goes into his room for the night, he stays there.

Keith headed back out to the hall bathroom, starting the water in the tub. He turned on the showerhead, waiting for the water to reach a right temperature. As his pants dropped to the floor, he froze at taking off his boxers. He couldn't, not this soon after. He stepped into the shower, boxers still on. Feeling dirty, so dirty all over, he began scrubbing his body. He continued till his skin felt raw. He needed these marks to disappear, these bruises, these handprints. None of that should be there. He continued until he was too exhausted to do more. After, he simply leaned his forehead on the wall of the shower, eyes closed, and let the water run down his body.

He wasn't sure how long he was in there like that, but he eventually got out and dried off. He made his way to his room to put on dry boxers and pajama pants. Keith dropped back onto his bed. This whole time, since Nyma left him there, his mind had felt completely numb. He couldn't think, couldn't feel pain, couldn't even feel emotions. In fact, his whole body felt numb and he fell to his back on his bed. He laid with his head on his pillow, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't seem to form coherent thoughts. The world began to seem much, much larger. He felt as though he was shrinking, feeling suddenly so small in an overly large room.

Suddenly, a million thoughts came rushing into his mind, mostly questions he couldn't answer. What was going to happen next? Should he even go to school tomorrow? What would his body look like? How many of these marks will form into bruises? How is he going to cover up all these marks? Is this going to happen again? Will Nyma be back? Question after question flooded his head, until he finally drifted into a restless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope I didn't scare anyone off with my last chapter :/ This was a bit of a shorter chapter. Keith isn't quite sure of his feelings right now, more from shock than anything. Yes, Nyma will be back for more Keith. However, her next time with him will not be as detailed like last chapter. John likes Nyma and likes her money so he will definitely want to bring her back. Please let me know what you think. Until next chapter,
> 
> NyteXade


	12. Rewards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith makes his way through school, Lance continues to worry, and Thanksgiving break is slowly approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another rape warning for this chapter. It will not be in near as much detail. The parts will be short so I will add (skip) and (continue) before and after the parts if you need to skip them.

Keith blinked away the blurriness as he sat up in his bed. With a long stretch, he noticed his whole body felt sore, his wrists, his legs, his… the memories of the night before suddenly came rushing back into him. He felt his hands shaking a bit. What had he don't to deserve this? _Oh… Mom. It's my fault._ That thought had been engrained in his mind by his father. He'd said it so often to the younger boy that he now believes it to be true.

He dropped his feet to the floor and was about to get ready for school before he saw some books on his small desk. There were two books, looking brand new, both about building motorcycles. His eyes widened. He flipped through the pages. There was so much information in these books. He'd checked out books from the school library on motorcycles, but they were few and far between. The ones he found were short and brief, mostly information he already knew. But these! He could learn so much from these books. But why…

"Ah, I see you found the books."

Keith looked up to see his father in his doorway (he never did bother to knock).

John continued. "Nyma was pleased with your time last night. Those are yours and she said she'll be back." With that, he turned and left.

Keith wasn't sure what to think. He hated last night. His mind, his body, his whole being was telling him that last night was wrong. Having someone force themselves onto him, taking away his very innocence, removing an irreplaceable part of him, it was absolute torture for the mind and body. But these books were something he's always wanted. They could give him a lot of information he couldn't get at the school library. Was it worth it?

Keith shook his head. He didn't really want to think about that right now. He left the books there, not wanting them to het lost or ruined, and began getting ready for school. He paused in front of the bathroom as he saw the marks that littered his body: bruises covered his torso and arms in the shape of that harness, on his hips in the shape of handprints, and circling his wrists. His eyes trailed up his torso and stopped on his neck, hickeys scattered about. Luckily, the mark form the gag was almost completely unnoticeable.

With shaky hands, he pulled a black turtleneck over his head, thankful that the temperatures were currently low as no one would question him wearing a turtleneck. It covered majority of what he wanted covered. The only thing that showed now were a few hickeys a little higher on his neck and the rings around his wrists. He pulled on his red jacket and the sleeves covered his wrists. The combination of his jacket collar and his long hair helped to hide the hickeys still peeking above the neck of his shirt. His hair helped to hide the holes in his ears he hoped would close up soon. He sighed and grabbed his backpack. He headed out the door early, knowing he would be walking slower from the soreness.

* * *

Lance almost immediately noticed a small change in Keith. Before classes even started, Keith just seemed quieter than usual. Lance really thought the slender boy had been getting better lately, he was talking more, smiling wider, he seemed happier. Now… he seems to have returned to his quieter self. Even the others seem to take note, though they didn't say anything about it.

Lance really began to worry that something had happened. During first and second period, he was constantly running through different scenarios in his head; none of them were anything good. Was he beaten? Had he been starved? Did his father say something to him? The thoughts just kept repeating in his head.

All through third period, Lance sat watching the boy next to him. His face was so emotionless. Even when he noticed Lance staring, his expression never changed. He glanced to Lance then back to the teacher. Lance's heart broke. What could have happened for him to be like this? He just seems so emotionally languid, like he's not wanting to feel anything anymore. Thanksgiving break is next week and Lance is worried about Keith. Thinking about Keith in that home, with _that_ man, with no outlet for a week is definitely cause for worry in Lance's mind.

Lance watched as Keith stood to leave after the bell rang. He thought he saw something on the small boy's neck. Bruises? Lance's eyes widened. _Was he choked?!_ He shook his head to get out of his thoughts as he saw Keith leaving. He stood to walk beside him. While they were walking, Lance decided to invite him to his house for Thanksgiving (knowing his mom wouldn't mind) but Keith politely turned him down. Lance didn't push, knowing that his father probably wouldn't approve and that would just make matters worse.

* * *

By the time lunch came, Keith seemed even more lethargic. He sat down with some food but didn't even touch it. Pidge pulled Lance to the side before they got food.

"Lance, I'm really worried about him." She glanced to the dark haired boy in question. "I mean look at him. I know he's not the most energetic but this…" She looked back at Lance with wide eyes.

He sighed, wondering whether to tell her about his encounter with Mr. Kogane.

Pidge spoke again before Lance could decide. "He was like that all last period in Algebra. I tried talking to him but it was like he didn't even hear me. I'm worried something is wrong."

Her eyes were so sad and pleading that Lance had to say something. "Ok, I'm going to tell you something but you _have_ to keep it to yourself until I have further information."

She nodded, a bit confused but curious.

He explained to her the whole encounter with Keith's father after he left Burger Palace. He also voiced his suspicions that Keith is being physically and mentally abused. He could see a shine forming in Pidge's eyes as he spoke. He sighed. "I don't want to say anything yet and risk making matters worse. For now, just be gentle with him and supportive as best you can."

She nodded, eyes downcast.

While eating, the only time Keith lifted his head was to stretch his arms. Interlocking his hands, he stretched them up and behind his head. Lance's eyes widened when he saw the dark, ugly purple bruises encircling both of his wrists as his jacket sleeves fell slightly. Keith must have noticed him looking because he immediately dropped his hands to hide them, laying his head back down. Lance cast a glance to Pidge. Judging from the horrified look on her face, she must have noticed too.

* * *

Keith went through this last week of school almost numbly. He didn't really hear most of his friends' conversations and moved almost on auto pilot. He wasn't looking forward to Thanksgiving break. It was never much of a Thanksgiving for him anyway. Though, he did usually get some extra food. He would get some leftover turkey or stuffing form his father's dinner at his work. He'd learned to cook those leftovers in several different ways to give him something new. But other than that, it was no different than any other week of the year. To make matters worse, he didn't have school. School was his temporary escape from his father. During the holidays, he didn't have that.

The last day of school before the break came and went the same as the rest of the week. Now he has all nine days of the break to survive until school returns the next Monday. He thought back to those books on his nightstand. Those could help pass the time. But… _how_ he got those books suddenly entered his mind. _Nyma was pleased with your time last night._ So he got them for doing a good job? Does that mean he should do it again?

That Sunday, again, his father arrived late and with Nyma by his side. Upon seeing her, Keith's body started to shake, knowing what was coming.

* * *

 **(Skip)** Once again, he found himself in a forced intimacy with the taller woman. This time, he was wrapped and draped in intricate scarves, one tied his wrists behind his back. Nyma used these to manipulate his body as she pleased. She had him pinned against a wall, her body was flush against his as she moved against him with him inside of her. He entered her several times as she continued pulling him around the room by the scarf around his waist or neck, pushing him against any surface there was, and vocally expressing her pleasure the whole time.

 **(Continue)** Just like last time, she left as soon as she was finished with him, not even bothering to remove the bindings. She expressed her satisfaction, blew a kiss, and returned to John. Keith was on the ground, leaning against one wall, too numb to do much else. When he slowly gained some sense back, he moved his bound hands beneath him and around his legs to get them in front. Then he was able to untie his wrists more easily. After that, he followed the same routine as last time: waited for his father to go to bed, took a shower, scrubbing his body raw, and headed to bed for a restless sleep.

* * *

Thanksgiving Day came. Keith didn't even leave his room until later in the evening to finally find something to eat. He froze at the sight in front of him. Their table was full of food: a large turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, and much more. It took him a minute to realize he had passed both his father and Nyma in the living room on his way to the kitchen. He turned back to them.

Nyma chuckled at the surprised look on Keith's face. "It's a gift." She smiled, but there wasn't much emotion behind it.

His father chimed in. "Nyma enjoyed her night on Sunday so she brought this for you."

Keith looked form the food and back to his father. The two adults made their way to the table and began making a plate for themselves. With a bit of hesitation, Keith joined as well.

That was the best meal he had ever had. So much food and so many kinds. He had three plates and was happy to see plenty of leftovers. All this for his night with Nyma? Is it really so wrong if he gets something like this, or his books, afterwards? Something deep inside him told him yes, it was most definitely wrong, but he just wasn't sure anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Keith is beginning to question what's right and wrong and John knows exactly what he is doing to the poor kid. Nyma is definitely not through but the same 'skip/continue' warnings will be given when needed. From here, though, the scenes won't be much longer than the one mentioned in this chapter. Please review! Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	13. Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyma's visits continue every Sunday, Keith continues to receive some 'positive reinforcement', and Lance is in for a surprise.

Friday and Saturday, after Thanksgiving, went by like nothing had even happened. His father was just as angry as ever and treated him like he always did. The only thing Keith had as proof that that night happened was the leftover food in the fridge. He never said anything to his father about it and wouldn't make anything unless his father was gone or asleep. He was too afraid that if he brought attention to the extra food, that his father would take it away. His soreness was just beginning to go away from the previous Sunday. Bruises, from being pushed around the room, were slowly healing. Then, the Sunday before school started again… she was back. Is this going to happen every Sunday? Keith just wasn't sure how he felt about it anymore.

* * *

 **(Skip)** Every time she comes, she seems to want to try something new with him. This time, she had him handcuffed to the bed, lying on his back. She had made him take more Viagra before they started. Her body was sprawled across his legs while she worked a condom over him with her _mouth_. He had wriggled when she first began but she just dug her fingers into his sides, holding him still, and continued her deep throat. Soon, she began running her fingers lightly up his sides. It tickled him; he hated it, but couldn't stop himself from squirming under her touch. After more of her blow job, she spent some time mounted on him, tickling him more and causing him to buck his hips. When she finished, she gave him a deep, passionate kiss goodbye, placed a key in his hand, and left.

 **(Continue)** He was thankful that he didn't have much soreness after that time. It was mostly just the bruises on his wrists from the cuffs. This time, he received a new sketchbook and some really nice charcoal pencils. He couldn't help but feel happy; he'd been needing some new art supplies. When school started again, he was happy for the distraction and escape from his house.

* * *

Lance had carried his worry for his friend all through Thanksgiving break. He tried his best not to let it show around his family on Thanksgiving. He thinks he succeeded well enough; no one said anything. When Sunday night finally came, he laid in bed with a horrible feeling in his gut. He was worried that Keith would be worse after this week. Then he thinks about the fact that Keith has survived _years_ with this man. This one week wouldn't be any different, would it? Then why did he have this horrible feeling?

Eventually he had finally fallen asleep, really wanting to get to school the next morning to see his friend. He got ready in a hurry and was the first of his family out the door that morning (that is usually not the case). He also ended up being the first of the group of friends to arrive at the school. He took a seat on the floor, leaning against the wall where they usually sit waiting for the first bell. The others soon trickled in, joining him in the commons area. Keith was the last to arrive. He took a seat next to the tan boy; he was so quiet, Lance hadn't noticed him there at first. He jumped just a bit when he turned to see the boy. His surprise soon twisted to worry as he saw how Keith looked. He sat with his knees pulled to his chest. He caught sight of some dark circles beneath the boy's eyes before he ducked his head down. Lance could also swear he could still see bruises on his wrists, sloppily hidden by the boy's sleeves. He looked at the others. They all seemed to take notice of the boy's silence and tired posture. Pidge and Lance glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing.

_It may be time to inform the others of our suspicions._

Lance sighed. When he placed a hand on Keith's shoulders, he felt him tense at the touch and pull away slightly, never even raising his head. Lance pulled his hand away. His heart dropped as a sick feeling settled in his stomach. _He really has gotten worse._ He couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened to him over the break.

* * *

He eventually decided he'd wait to tell the others. He wanted to watch Keith for a little while longer first. He wanted to know if it was just that week that he didn't have school that caused his change, or if it would continue. He wanted to know _what happened_ to cause this heartbreaking change in Keith. As weeks passed, he began to see a pattern. _It was always the worst on Mondays._ He noticed that Keith always came on Mondays almost completely covered; pants, long sleeves, scarves, jackets, etc. As they got further into the week, he would slowly lose some of his layers, and seem more well-rested. However, as soon as Monday comes again, it all starts over. Lance decided he would try to 'pay a visit' to the Kogane house the next Sunday he had the chance. He needed to find out soon before Christmas break came.

* * *

It's become a sort of routine for Keith. Every Sunday, he would find himself in a different intimate and manipulated situation with Nyma. This usually resulted in plenty of bruises or hickeys or other marks scattered about his body that he would attempt to hide before school. During those nights, his mind just feels numb to the whole experience now, not sure what to think. His body, on the other hand, seems to be becoming more complacent to the whole situation, more willing. He just seems to move with her… for her… and exactly how she wants him to. His body doesn't even really try to fight it anymore. The soreness he usually gains the day after slowly dissipates after each experience. His body seems to be getting used to the strain.

Nyma continues with her 'experiments' each time she visits, either forcing him into some strange and provocative outfit or trying out different, awkward positions on him. She seems to love binding his wrists or inflicting pain. And anytime she figures out how to make his do something involuntarily, like bucking his hips or moaning, she definitely takes advantage of that discovery.

 **(Skip)** One night she tries something different. She decides to not bind his wrists like usual. Instead she tells him she'd like him to join in. He isn't sure what she means by that at first. That is, until he ends up on top (she is usually the top) and she is forcing his hands to grab her waist. _Oh._ She wants him to make love _back._ His body obeys, mind not really thinking, as he thrusts into her and caresses her waist. She _definitely_ enjoys that. She lifts her legs in front of him lays them on his shoulders. She seems to be waiting for something. He moves his hands to her legs, caressing her thighs. When she still doesn't seem satisfied, he begins to suck at her inner thigh. This elicits a satisfied moan from her.

 **(Continue)** After that night, Nyma happily informs John that 'the boy is learning'. However, she soon goes back to her usually routine of him on bottom and bound in some kind of way. Every Monday or Tuesday, he always receives some kind of gift, _no, reward,_ for his satisfactory work on Sunday. These rewards are usually something he needs or wants (a new bed, more art supplies, even a TV) and he can't help but want more.

* * *

One Sunday night, Nyma has a brilliant idea to make their night more 'fun'. She arrives with a bottle of tequila in hand. Through the beginning of their night, she has him taking shots of the burning liquid. He does so without protest. She, however, remains sober, wanting to fully experience the young, inebriated boy's love. His movements become sluggish but he seems to get more into it.

 **(Skip)** He is back to being the top this time. She had helped his uncoordinated hands to put on a condom and lubricant. His face flushed as he moaned. He leans down against her as he begins his sloppy thrusting. He is close enough to her that she begins to lick his neck. He shakes his head, muttering a slurred 'no, I can't' when she begins her own movements beneath him. She shushes him, saying he's doing good but he just shakes his head. "Thsss isn riii..." he slurs. She grabs the alcohol bottle form the nightstand and encourages him to take another drink, saying he'll feel better after. He obeys and tips the bottle taking several gulps, making a face after that causes Nyma to giggle. "See, how do you feel now?" "Mmm~ Bederr~" He becomes more passionate after that: caressing her inner thighs, licking her naval, groping her cheeks, moaning with every passionate thrust into her.

The world around him is spinning and he doesn't have very good balance on top of her right now. She grabs his hands and places them on her breasts. "That'll steady you" she said through a satisfactory smirk. When he immediately retracts his hands, he really loses his balance and falls against her. He begins to suck at her neck. She wraps her arms around him and flips them both over until he is back on bottom. Even through blurry vision, he can tell she is smiling down at him. She smiles at that flushed, confused face of his- 'So precious!' –and begins her own movements, eliciting moans from the boy.

 **(Continue)** Keith feels so disoriented that he isn't even sure when Nyma had left. He's just lying on his bed, still naked and with a condom on. He can also feel lubricant between his cheeks. He isn't sure when that happened. When he tries to get up, he more or less just rolls to the floor, leaning his back against his bed. He slowly stands on shaky legs and discards the condom. After clumsily searching for his clothes, he is eventually able to head down the hallway. He cleans up a bit in the bathroom and pulls on his clothes. The whole house is dark and he knows his father is asleep. He is such a heavy sleeper, the not much will actually wake him up now. Mind still very foggy and body moving on its own, he heads out the front door and begins down the dark street with swaying steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Keith is roaming the streets… what could happen next? John is simply enjoying the money he is making by selling his son to Nyma for a 'night of pleasure'. Granted, he also enjoys what he gets from making Nyma happy. Please tell me what you think. I have a lot of plans for this fic! Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	14. Drunk Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long night of babysitting and chores, Lance finally sits down to start on homework when he hears something outside his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! It's been a while since I've posted. College has been kicking my butt! It's definitely kept me busy. Not to mention I'm having issues with my car insurance about an accident. Well, anyway, I'm sure y'all don't want to hear 'bout my life. :) I'll be writing when I can, but it'll probably be a while till the next update. Onto the chapter!

Lance plopped onto his bed, homework and books scattered around him. He stared at the clock wondering when it had gotten so late: 12:43am. _So much for going to the Kogane house tonight._ After discovering the pattern that Keith is always worse on Mondays, Lance had wanted to 'pay a visit' to the Kogane house on a Sunday night. He wanted to find out what made Keith like that. This Sunday, however, just wasn't the night. Between homework, chores, and babysitting his siblings, there was no way he could get out of the house. Both his parents were gone for the weekend for their anniversary, so it was just him and his siblings. He sighed, knowing it's going to be another week until he can try again.

Lance had gotten his sisters and brother to bed around 9 then went back to finishing his chores. He had just finished the dishes when he finally dropped onto his bed to work on homework. He looked over his homework, trying to figure out what he wants to start on first. He had work from almost every class but already finished his math. "Well," he thought aloud, "might as well get the hardest out of the way." He reached for his French book and dropped it in front of him. He was just about to open the book when he heard something outside. "Major no ser esos malditos niños…" he mumbled to himself as he headed to the front door. Not too long ago there were a couple neighborhood kids playing pranks at different houses. Lance suspected it was them again. He groaned and opened the door to look out.

There was a kid… only one though. That got Lance suspicious. These kids usually stayed together. Cautiously, Lance headed outside and towards the kid. The kid had one hand on the house and he was leaning forward, swaying a bit. He looks like he is trying to keep his balance. As Lance slowly got closer, he noticed something. _I'd recognize that mullet anywhere!_

Just as Keith was about to topple over, Lance rushed forward and caught him. "Keith?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Mm no shrr…"

Lance had to strain his ears to hear anything, but it just sounded like mumbled nonsense. Then he smelled something. He pulled one of Keith's arms around his shoulders to support him. As he pulled Keith closer, he figured out what that smell was. "Keith, are you- are you drunk?" The two of them headed back inside and if Keith answered him, he didn't hear it.

He pulled Keith back to his room, trying hard not to wake his siblings. This would be hard to explain away… his underage friend (who is probably being abused) shows up in the middle of the night, drunk of his ass. When he dropped Keith onto his bed, the boy immediately tried to stand back up.

"Noo I can' stay herr," Keith slurred.

Lance puts his hands on his shoulders and pushes him gently back down, which isn't hard. "You can and you will, at least until you sober up. You can barely stand right now, let alone walk."

Keith just shook his head, trying to stand back up. Instead, he ended up falling backwards onto the bed.

Lance left him laying down and dropped into his own desk chair, watching the intoxicated teen. "How did you even get here?"

Keith just held up a heavy hand with two fingers out making a walking motion.

Lance stood up. "You _walked_?!"

Keith shrank away from the sudden outburst. It wasn't loud enough to wake the younger residents but loud enough to remind Keith of his father.

Lance sat back down. "Sorry." He took a breath. "It's just… walking all the way here, in that condition… that's dangerous."

Keith relaxed just a bit. "'M surry."

A long sigh escaped Lance. "It's fine, you don't need to apologize. I was just worried." A long silence followed before Lance decided to say something. "Keith…" He isn't sure what to say. It's not like he was expecting something like this to happen. He didn't even know Keith drank! He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Why, uh, why do you smell like tequila?"

Keith nodded lethargically. "Cus iss her favrrii."

That immediately got Lance's attention. "Who is her?" He watched for a minute as Keith tried to push himself into a sitting position. He got there eventually and Lance repeated his question. "Keith, who is 'her'"

Keith just shook his head.

Lance moved forward a bit on his seat. "Keith," he began firmly, "did someone force you to drink?"

Keith continued to shake his head. "No, I cannt. Not aloowwd."

"Not allowed? You aren't allowed to say?"

Keith nodded.

Lance thought for a minute. He is still pretty intoxicated so he may give some things away without realizing it. Finally he asked, "Is this 'her' a good person to you?"

Keith was quiet for a moment. At first, it seemed like he was going to try to stand up but seemed to think better of it before losing his balance. He dropped back down before answering. "She sas 'm good," he slurred.

Lance wasn't sure what to make of that. "Good at what?"

Keith shook his head again, mumbling something about 'can't tell'.

Lance noticed Keith beginning to shake a bit. "Are you cold?" he asked, genuinely.

Keith shook his head again. "Noo I don liike it."

"You don't like what she does?"

No response.

Lance could tell something was wrong. _Was he remembering something?_ He tried to put a hand on Keith's arm to comfort him. As soon as he did so, Keith flinched away and his eyes widened. Lance immediately backed his hands away. "Hey, it's okay. I won't do anything you don't want me to." He thought he saw Keith relax a bit, but he still scooted a few inches away.

"Iss my fault. Iss my fault she's gone. I desrve all thiss." Keith seemed to be speaking more to himself than to Lance.

"Are you talking about the same lady?" Lance had heard him mention 'she'. When he saw Keith shake his head again, he continued. "Keith, I don't know who is gone or who is doing things you don't like. What I do know is that you deserve none of it. You don't deserve anything bad th-" He stopped when he saw Keith nodding quickly. Lance could feel his anger rising in his chest. Not at Keith. No, he could never be angry at him. He could feel his anger towards whoever is feeding him the bullshit about him deserving this. Lance was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Keith mumbling something again. He strained his ears to listen. He caught a few phrases: 'dad likes her', 'she has money', and something about this mystery lady liking Keith's work.

"Work? What work?"

Keith looked up and just realized he'd been mumbling.

Lance was beginning to get anxious about this mystery lady. "Please, Keith, tell me who this lady is."

Keith finally stood up this time, shaking his head again. He looked cornered, like he was searching for a way out. He stumbled across the room to the door, mumbling that he has to get back, that he can't disobey.

Lance immediately stood after Keith and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Keith flinched, but Lance didn't back off this time. "Keith, please. It is obvious that you need help. Plus, I'm not letting you leave until you are sober enough to do so." Keith began to back up. "If you have to, you can stay here for the night."

Keith's eyes widened and he tried to push past Lance again, back to the door. "No! He won like thaa! I can't!"

Lance tried his best to stop him gently. "Okay, okay. You can't do that. I'll make sure you get back tonight." That seemed to ease Keith's panic a bit. Lance was able to guide him back to the bed. "Wait here, I'll get you some water and food."

Lance came back in the room a moment later with a sandwich and a glass of water. Lance patiently waited as Keith ate the sandwich and slowly sipped on the water. He looked at the time and groaned: 2:17. _I'm going to be falling in sleep in class tomorrow._

Keith looked up at the sound lance made. He seemed to guess what he was thinking. "'M surry." He looked down at his lap with a small pout.

Lance sighed. "Don't apologize," he repeated, "I'm still up because I want to be. I _want_ to help you, Keith, but you've gotta give me more information in order for me to do that."

Keith set the glass aside and stood up. "'M feelin' better now. I thin' I should ge' back."

Lance stood, too. "I'll walk you back. You don't need to be walking alone, at night, and still halfway intoxicated."

Keith shook his head quickly. "No, no. 'M fine. Promise."

Lance resigned, choosing not to push. He walked Keith to the front door.

Keith got halfway across the front yard before stopping. He turned back to Lance, who was still in the doorway, and gave him a small thanks before continuing home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down, another chapter closer to Lance finding out. He still wants to try and sneak by the Kogane house on a Sunday, probably now more than ever! What's going to happen?! JK, I already know. XD Please let me know what you think. Reviews are my motivation! Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade  
> * Major no ser esos malditos niños – 'Better not be those damn kids…'


	15. A Week Without Keith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith doesn't show up to school for the next week and Lance makes an important decision.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh…" Lance stretched his hands up and out as he let out a long, drawn out yawn.

Pidge had to duck out of the way of his stretching arms. "Is that really necessary?" she asks in a monotone voice, pushing her glasses further up her nose.

Lance drops his hands. "Oh, sorry." His eyes were so heavy, it took way too much effort to keep them open.

"Dude. Did you even get any sleep last night?" Hunk smiled a bit at the bags under his friend's eyes.

They were all currently in the commons area waiting for the first bell to ring. Hunk, Pidge, and Lance were sitting on the floor against a wall and Shiro was sitting in front of them with his laptop open.

Lance sighed. "No, I really didn't. K-" He stopped himself. He didn't want them to know Keith showed up at his place completely drunk. "I was working all night on homework."

Hunk nodded in understanding, but Pidge gave him a sidelong glance.

Shiro also spared him a glance, having caught his slip up. He looked towards the front entrance of the school then back to Lance. "So, does anyone know where Keith its?" He looked at his watch. "It's only a minute till the bell rings. He's never been late before." He couldn't seem to hide the concern in his voice.

Lance wrung his hands together. He knew exactly why Keith wasn't at school today, at least he was pretty sure. Keith was probably nursing a hangover at the moment. "M-maybe he just isn't feeling well?" It came out more like a question than a statement.

Shiro eyed him a moment longer before going back to his work.

Pidge, however, certainly didn't miss how Lance continued to stare at the school's entrance, hands wringing in his lap. He jumped a bit when the first bell rang, smiling sheepishly as he gathered his stuff. They all headed off to their first class.

All day, Lance could not get away from his concern about Keith. Hearing what he was saying last night… there is something going on at his house on Sunday nights, and Lance is determined to find out what. He was sure to get copies of the day's work from whatever classes he has with Keith. Hopefully this is the only day Keith has to miss…

* * *

…Or not.

Tuesday comes and goes and still no word or appearance from Keith. Lance's worry only grows. He continues to collect work for Keith, asking the others to do so as well for the rest of his classes. He really wishes Keith had a cell phone or something. He has no way of contacting him or figuring out how he's doing. Lance sighs, feeling his anxiety rise.

* * *

On Wednesday, Lance makes a decision. Keith still hasn't shown and if he still doesn't show by Friday, Lance will then voice his suspicions to the rest of the group. He can see the concern growing in the others as Keith still doesn't show up. He can tell they are all worried, especially Pidge, but just don't want to show it. They try to act like they are all okay, but Lance can tell.

* * *

Thursday and Friday come and go, anxiety increases, Lance feels sick with worry, and his stack of make-up work for Keith is ever growing. Lunch on Friday is solemn and quiet. They are all worried and refuse to admit it. Finally, just before the bell rings, Lance mentions to them that they should all meet at Burger Palace after school. The others nod in agreement and head to class when the bell rings.

* * *

"So what's this about exactly?" Pidge was the last to sit down with her food. She looked to the others for some kind of response.

"Well, I'm sure this has something to do with Keith," Hunk offers.

"Yes but I'm sure she means more specifically." Shiro took a sip of his drink.

Pidge nodded. Lance swallowed the fry he was currently chewing before he began. "So…" Lance took a moment to figure out how he was going to say this. The others waited patiently for him to be ready. "There is something that you all need to know. I've chosen to tell you because I know you all care about Keith, and after this week, we are all very worried for him. Well… I've had my suspicions about something. The only other person I've told is Pidge, because she happen to really notice his change."

All their food sits forgotten on the table as they all listened intently to Lance's every word.

Lance continued. "I began to notice little things when I first met him: small bruises seemed to appear, how reserved he is, how he flinches away from any physical touch." He paused. "That day I got his address from you, Shiro, I met his dad. He was very rude and treats Keith like trash. I believe he is abusing Keith. I don't know the full extent of it, but I know something is going on."

"So, do you think that time he freaked out over the blackout is somehow connected to his abuse?" Hunk asked, thinking back to the day of that huge storm.

Lance nodded and Shiro looked worried. "What happened during the blackout?"

"Well… As soon as the whole school went dark, of course everyone was acting like third graders, but we all turned on our phone lights. When I looked around, Keith wasn't at his desk anymore. Eventually Pidge found him in a corner, sitting in a fetal position. His whole body was shaking and he'd been crying. That isn't a normal reaction to being scared of the dark. I sat down and talked with him until he calmed down enough to fall asleep." He paused a moment, trying to keep his anger in check. "I don't know what his father's been doing to him for him to react like that, but I know it's him."

The others waited patiently for Lance to continue.

"I thought he had been getting better. He was smiling more, flinching less, letting his friends in. Recently, however, he seems to have regressed and almost gotten worse. I hardly see any emotion in him at all. I don't know what has changed exactly but I know it has something to do what whatever goes on Sunday nights." He stopped to take in everyone's reactions. Hunk looked completely appalled and heartbroken. Pidge, who knew some, was surprised and saddened at the rest of the information.

Shiro, on the other hand, didn't look surprised at all, just solemn. "I knew something was off. I haven't found out as much as you have, but I had suspicions." Shiro thought for a moment. "What happened last Sunday? Is Keith the reason you were so tired Monday at school?"

Lance sighed. He can't get anything passed Shiro. "I found Keith in my front yard around one in the morning, drunk off his ass and smelling of tequila." He ignored Hunk's comment of 'Keith drinks?!' to continue his story. "I brought him inside and asked how he got there. He said he walked. He walked all the way to my house, drunk. I tried to get more out of him. He kept talking about this 'her' who… well… I only got bits and pieces form him. Something about his dad liking the money, this lady likes his 'work', that tequila was her favorite, and that it's his fault. He kept insisting on leaving and that he's not allowed to say anything."

"You think someone forced him to drink?" Pidge asked, suspicion edging her voice.

Lance nodded. "I do. I think whoever this mystery lady is, somehow forced him to drink. Though I can't think of why." Lance had a hand to his chin in deep thought.

"Maybe…" Hunk started to speak but he seemed almost sick at his own thoughts. "You don't think it was to make it easier to… abuse him? Make him more compliant?"

Shiro nodded solemnly. "That is very possible. It could have made him more impressionable or more yielding to others' suggestions."

Lance just nodded. "I plan on 'paying a visit' to his place this Sunday night. I need to know what has changed to make him as he is now. He has no emotion and no energy." He looked down at his lap. "It breaks me to see him that way."

Hunk places a comforting hand on Lance's back, though he knows it can't do much in a situation like this.

Shiro spoke next. "I agree that we should find out what is happening on Sundays, but just be careful. There is no telling what you are going to see."

Lance nodded. If he was being honest, he really didn't want to know what was happening.

* * *

Sure enough, that Sunday night, Lance made his way to the Kogane house. When he got there, he saw the light on in the living room. As he snuck up to the front window, he only found John, sitting and watching TV. He backed up to look at the rest of the house. He didn't notice at first but there is a faint light coming from a bedroom. He snuck over and ducked down below the window. He peeked over and found a break in the blinds, just large enough for him to see inside. What he did see, however, had him frozen. He was so in shock that he found he couldn't move or even look away. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooow I finally got a chapter up! I've actually gotten a little ahead in my writing (thanks to the holiday break) so hopefully I can keep it that way. So the others finally know of Lance's suspicions! Yay! Please review! Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	16. The Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finally finds out the whole truth and confronts Keith.

Lance stared, mouth agape. He was so in shock that he found he couldn't move or even look away. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. Bile was rising in his throat from the sight before him. It's disgusting what they are doing to him! He had peered inside the window to find Keith in bed between two others. Lance stares in shock as the two strangers completely take advantage of Keith. A painful yelp finally snaps Lance from his shock. He turns away and drops to the ground below the window. Unable to stop it this time, he runs to the side of the house as the contents of his stomach are expelled.

This goes on for a long while as Lance waits outside the window. Red hot anger pulses through his body. It took every last bit of his will not to go bursting in there. However, he doesn't know how violent those two are or how strong they are. He remains where he is, drawing blood from his palms from pressing his hands into fists so hard.

After a long time, he decides to chance a look. When he peers inside, his heart shatters at the sight. Keith is laying limply on his bed covered in sweat and breathing heavily. There are bruises covering him. His neck and shoulders are littered with dark purple hickeys. Keith's eyes are wide open but glazed over, void of any emotion. Lance quickly drops back to the ground when he hears the front door open. He peers from behind a bush as the two strangers get into their car and drive off. He waits a moment longer, and he's glad he did because he hears Keith's door open.

"Still alive are ya? Heh"

He peeks inside to find John standing in the doorway with a large stack of cash _._ He lingers only for a moment before leaving Keith without another word. Lance's anger is renewed full force. _He sold his own son for cash?!_ He crawls over to the other end of the house and finds John's bedroom. He waits patiently until he hears John's loud snoring. _That didn't take long_. He returns to Keith's window to find he hasn't even moved. Lance wants to scream; he wants to murder those who did this to someone as precious as Keith!

He gently pushes up on Keith's window, thankful it wasn't locked. Once he gets it open, he finds the string to the blinds and pulls them open. As he climbs into the room, he ends up tripping and face-planting. Yet, even after all that commotion, Keith still hasn't budged. Lance takes in the look of the small bedroom. There are some new items there: a new dresser, TV, some motorcycle books, and art supplies. Despite that, there aren't many personal touches to the room. However, even with all these items, the room feels oddly empty. He turns to Keith, his skin shiny and slick and eyes still wide and unseeing.

"Uh… Keith? Buddy?"

No response.

Lance sighs. He isn't sure what he should do. He looks around and his eyes land on the dresser. Looking through the drawers, he stops when he finds some long pajama pants and shirt. He hits a fist to his palm. _First thing's first._ He _needs to be washed up._ He's sure they drugged him somehow. He pulls one of Keith's arms over his shoulder and lifts him up.

"Come on, buddy. We gotta get you cleaned up."

Keith is draped limply over him and Lance makes his way out to the bathroom. Keith's feet move languidly with him. Lances finds the bathroom and sits Keith on the toilet as he starts the water running.

He looks at the still naked Keith a bit awkwardly. He rubs the back of his neck. "Alright, can you… uh… I mean… unless you want me to…" Lance sighs. Keith doesn't seem to be hearing any of his words. He knows he's going to have to do all the work here. He can't dwell on the awkward thoughts. Keith needs serious help and Lance is the only one who can help at the moment.

When the water finally warms up, he pulls Keith back up; he stands a bit easier this time. He steps into the tub with little prompting from Lance but does little more than that. He just simply stands there, water running down his skin. Lance reaches for a wash cloth and drizzles it with some body wash. He begins scrubbing Keith down. Then he moves to shampoo his hair. As he begins scrubbing his scalp, he feels Keith lean his head back into his touch. He looks at him curiously; there is still no change in his expression. Lance gently pushes his head back a bit further to get him under the water. The suds quickly rinse down his body. Once finished, Lance finds a clean towel in a cabinet and drapes it over Keith after turning off the water. He coaxes Keith out of the tub and begins to dry him off. Keith's body just seems to move automatically. Lance pulls on his boxers and pajamas and leads him back to his room.

He sits Keith at the small desk next to his bed the proceeds to strip the bed. Nothing seems to have soaked through the sheets so the mattress is still clean. The mattress itself also looks somewhat new. He discards the sheets off to the side and sits Keith on the bed, taking the desk chair himself. After that, he isn't sure what to do. Keith is still unresponsive.

He sighs. "Now it all makes sense. All the things you were saying the other night? It makes sense now. The mystery lady, your 'work', not being allowed to say anything." He talks out loud to Keith hoping he'll respond eventually. "I still don't understand what you were saying was your fault." He placed a hand on Keith's and was a bit surprised to see Keith look up at him.

"L-Lance?"

"Keith!"

Keith's eyes widened and he started to back up but winces at the immense pain in his rear. "H-how long have you been here?" He seemed to just notice he was clean and in clean clothes. "W-what… h-how…" He looked back to Lance. "Did you…" He started to shake.

Lance grabbed both Keith's hands in his. "Hey, calm down. It's okay. Yes, I cleaned you up and got you into some clean clothes. I had to get that drug off of you. It seemed to be clouding your mind. As for how long I've been here…" Lance sat back in his chair, eyes never leaving Keith. "Well… long enough to know what happened."

Keith vigorously shook his head. He couldn't believe this. Lance wasn't supposed to find out, no one was. Not only that, but he seems to have blacked out at some point, who knows what happened in that time. . What could they have done to him? What doesn't he remember?

"Keith?"

Keith was brought from his thoughts.

"Keith, why didn't you tell me this was happening? These guys are _raping_ you!"

Keith's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head again. "No! No, it can't be rape. Th-that's not what they were doing. I-I never told them no. I never fought back. S-so it can't be r-rape… can it?"

"Keith! Don't even try to justify this! It is clear as crystal you don't want this! They drugged you!" Lance was waving his hands around, voice rising.

The shorter teen just continued to shake his head in denial. "No, no, no. I l-let them. I let them do this. I… I-" Keith looked to the ground. "Anyway, it's only right. It's what I deserve."

There it was again. Somehow Keith is convinced he deserves all that is happening to him. "What on Earth makes you think you deserve this?"

Keith sighs. His next words are so quiet, but they are enough to thrust a knife into Lance's heart. "It's my fault my mom died."

Lance really doesn't know what to say. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting. He'd never heard Keith even mention his mother. The silence between the two dragged on and Keith's eyes never strayed from the ground. Lance finally decided to ask. "What, uh…" He cleared his throat. "What happened to your mom?"

Keith finally looked up. "Sh-she died when I-I was only s-seven." Keith sniffed. "She h-had cancer a-and it was all my fault!" He fell forward into Lance's chest and sobbed into his shirt.

Lance wrapped his arms around the scrawny boy, feeling tears of his own beginning to well up.

…

_Wait!_

Lance gently pulled Keith back to look at him. "She died of cancer?" He confirmed softly.

Keith nodded.

"Keith, there is no possible way that was your fault. You can't cause cancer in another person."

Keith shook his head. "No, it was her stress. The stress of having to raise me as a son, someone no one wanted… that's what caused it." His voice shook with sobs.

Lance's eyes were wide and furious. _This is bullshit!_ He pulled Keith back in for another hug. He felt Keith bury his face into him. "That is all bullshit, Keith. It's nothing but a lie. Stress cannot cause cancer." He ran his fingers through the damp raven hair, soothing the weeping boy. "Whoever has been feeding you this shit, is a cruel, cruel person." He says 'whoever' though he already knows exactly who. This brings about another round of crying from Keith. Lance rubbed up and down his back, letting him cry as long as he needed to.

Keith isn't sure what to believe. He trusts Lance, but how could it not be his fault? That's all he's ever been told. How is he supposed to feel if Lance was right? That his father had been lying to him all this time? But why? Why would he do that? Keith shook his head in Lance's shoulder. No, his father wouldn't do that unless he had good reason. It's Keith's fault, that's the only explanation.

"Please, pleeeaaase believe me. You are an amazing person." Lance continued to rub his back, speaking softly. "There is absolutely nothing you could have done to cause your mother's death." He pulled Keith back gently to look at him. "You've gotta understand that." He watched as Keith sniffled and nodded. "So, uh, not to change the subject or anything, but what happened last week? You didn't show up at school all week."

Keith looked away. "Well, I uh… didn't go Monday because I had a uh… hangover." He mumbled the last word.

"Yea. I had a feeling that's why you missed. You were pretty messed up when you showed up at my place."

Keith just nodded.

"What about the rest of the days?" Keith was silent at first but Lance waited patiently.

When Keith finally started to speak, he refused to look Lance in the eyes. "Well… I got caught… sneaking back into the house. So I… I had to be… punished."

Lance was furious. It took a lot of will power to stay calm for Keith. "Punished…" Lance repeated. He took a breath. "How exactly were you… punished?"

"Well he, uh…" Keith hesitated. He has always been told not to ever tell anyone else. If he does… well, more punishment. But… he knows Lance can be trusted and he already knows other stuff… "He locks me in the hall closet." At Lance's enraged face, Keith hurried to justify the action. "But it's because I have to experience the darkness my mom is in now."

Lance was furious! No- he was beyond furious! How could someone do this to their own kid?! He took a deep breath before he exploded. "Keith…" He breathed again. "That is _not_ a justification for his action. I am positive your mom is in a better place right now, not eternal darkness. I'm sure it is breaking her heart to see you treated like this." Tears finally began to fall from Lance's ocean blue eyes. He pulled Keith into another hug. He didn't resist but Lance could feel him shaking his head in his shoulder. He pulled him back to talk again. "Keith, you have to get away from this place. Come to my house, I know my mom will take care of you."

Keith shook his head vigorously. "N-no I can't do that! T-this is my home; h-he's my f-father. Plus he'll be furious if I leave!"

"My mom can protect-"

"No! I can't!" Keith pushed Lance away. "T-this is where I belong! This is what I deserve!"

The both sat in silence for a few minutes. Keith was panting and Lance was too shocked to say anything. Before either of them could talk, however, John comes bursting into his room. Keith's eyes widened in fear. _It must have been my shouting! This is my fault!_ It is only yet another thing he must take the blame for. There is shouting and yelling, but Keith is too terrified to make any of it out. He grab's Keith's hair and drags him to that dreaded closet. Lance is fighting against him the whole time but John is too large and strong. After locking the closet, he turns to the intruder.

"You!" He begins in a gruff voice. "If you breathe a word of this to _anyone_ , you're little boyfriend here'll get severely punished." Then he grabs Lance's wrist and drags him to the front door. Lance is still trying to get to the locked closet. He tosses Lance out the front door. "Stay away from my house boy!" After John shuts and locks the door, Lance continues banging and yelling until John shows up with a shotgun in hand. "You are trespassin' on my land! I have every right to shoot!" With that Lance reluctantly took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to take down the previous chapter (those of you who had already read it). I am now trying to get away from that stuff now, which means some previous chapters are probably going to be edited a bit to make them a bit 'milder'. The storyline will not change but I'm trying really further the plot now. Until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	17. A New Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers. I know it has been a long time since I posted anything. It was a bit of an unexpected hiatus. But, good news, I have just finished school and am now officially a college graduate! I just graduated with a bachelor's degree. So, now that it's summertime, I should be able to get some writing in! Now, I don't know how often I will actually be able to post new content but I will try my best! I hope I still have some readers left after a break that long. There is only this chapter and an epilogue left. After that I will be working on the sequel to Violet Transformation.

Lance wasn't sure what to think or what to feel. Confused. Scared. Helpless. Most of all… angry. He was running at full speed down the road. With shaking hands, he pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1. He explained everything between heavy breaths. His voice was shaky and cracked a few times. He remained on the line, as requested by the dispatcher, until they knew someone was at the Kogane house. As soon as he was able, he hung up and immediately called Shiro. They conference called the others and Lance filled them in.

Halfway down the street he finally stopped running. Realizing he had driven there, he turned and started back to the house. It didn't take long to see the flashing red and blue lights of emergency vehicles. There were at least two police cruisers and an ambulance. As the approached, he saw two officers forcing John up off the ground, already in handcuffs. He looked around and found Keith sitting on the edge of the back of the ambulance. An EMT was tending to him. Keith looked lost… confused… as though he wasn't currently in this reality.

"Keith!" Lance ran towards him but slowed when he saw the boy flinch. "Keith." He spoke softer that time.

Keith looked up slowly. "L-Lance? What's going on?"

"You're free, Keith." Lance smiled softly but sadly. "You're free of that abusive bastard." Though he said it calmly, some venom still leaked into his voice.

"B-but…"

Lance put a finger to Keith's lips. "No. I know what you are gonna say. You are going to try and justify that man's actions with the same bullshit excuses he feeds you." He is still keeping his voice calm and even, with some effort. "Babe. _No one_ should ever have to endure that torture." He sighed and hung his head. "I know you don't believe this now but one day… You'll see."

Keith remained silent and looked away, tears slipping down his cheeks.

Lance stood up and said something quietly to the paramedic. The man pointed to an officer across the yard currently questioning a neighbor. "Thanks," Lance turned to Keith, "hey, I'll be right back." He started off towards the officer.

Keith watched as the officer dismissed the neighbor and turned to find Lance next to him. They exchanged a short conversation, gesturing several times to Keith. The officer seemed to think for a moment before nodding. They shook hands and Lance headed back over.

"Well, good news. Officer Scott said you can come live with me and Mama until we can find you a more permanent home."

Keith looked up at him. He had this innocent, boy-ish look on his face. "You called me babe."

There was silence and Lance could see the EMT smirk just slightly at the confused, lost look on Lance's face. "W-what?"

"Earlier, when you were talking to me. You called me 'babe'." Keith repeated his statement.

"I-I d-did?" Lance could feel his face heating up. He looked away. "W-well, it was j-just… uh…" When he looked back at Keith, he could see the ghost of a smile forming on his face.

"You like me." It was a statement. He wasn't asking if he liked him, he _knew._

Lance's stammering continued. "I-I have to w-walk… no um… t-talk to Officer S-Scott. I-I uh…" Lance gave up and just walked off with a face as red as an apple.

The medic smiled. "Well, you are going to be fin as far as your injuries go. Bruising, cuts and scrapes, no permanent damage." He looked at Keith only to find he wasn't even listening. The boy was staring at Lance across the yard, smiling. "You should tell him."

Keith flinched out of his staring and looked at the man tending to him. "Huh?"

"Tell him." He repeated simply.

Now it was Keith's turn to turn red. "Y-yea," he agreed sheepishly. He got up and walked slowly over to Lance who was walking around a bit aimlessly and awkwardly. Keith grabbed his hands.

Lance froze. He turned and saw Keith's soft smile. However, he couldn't even get a word out when Keith lifted up on his toes and kissed him.

(Behind them, Officer Scott handed over $10 to the paramedic.)

When they finally separated, Lance still couldn't say anything, but when he saw Keith's smile grow wider, he finally spoke. "I swear to you, Keith." He took both of Keith's hands in his. "I will protect you and always give you a reason to smile like that." He used his thumbs to wipe stray tears from under Keith's eyes.

Someone started clapping and they both jumped. "Well it's about time you two got together."

They turned to see Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro standing there. Both boys let go and stepped away as though trying to act like nothing was happening.

"G-guys!" Lance's face was back to red. "How long have you all been standing there?"

"Long enough." Pidge smirked and nudged Hunk with her elbow. He chuckled. Shiro stood smiling with arms crossed.

"'Scuse me. I need to ask you some questions." Another officer interrupted, pulling Lance aside.

"Oh, uh, yea. Of course." Lance followed.

As Lance and the officer walked off, the smiles o the others quickly disappeared to be replaced with worry and concern. "So how are you doing, Keith?" Shiro dropped his arms, focusing a soft gaze on Keith.

"Uh, fine, I guess." Keith was looking all around him, as though just taking in the scene taking place.

"It seems like you are still trying to process everything." Hunk's voice was soothing.

"Y-yea, but w-what's gonna happen?" Keith's knees looked like they were going to give out any minute.

Shiro rushed over and braced him before he could fall. "Hey, careful. You don't need to worry."

"Yea, you are going to be okay from here on out." Pidge helped Shiro lead Keith to a nearby car, Lance's car, so he could lean on something.

"Keith, are you alright?" Lance rushed over when he saw something wrong with Keith. He was breathing heavily but otherwise okay.

"He's fine," Hunk began, wanting to keep Lance's concern at bay.

Lance let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, well let's get you out of here. You don't need to be in this wretched place any longer." There was more anger in his voice than he intended.

Keith flinched.

Lance immediately regretted it. "Oh, sorry."

"So where is he going to stay?" Pidge broke the awkward silence.

Lance gestured to Officer Scott behind them. "The officer said he could live with me until a more permanent home is found. As much as my mom would be happy to have him stay there, my family is big and there isn't much room." He gave an apologetic look to Keith.

Shiro looked to be in deep thought for a minute. "I might have a solution." They all looked at Shiro curiously. "Well, the end of the school year is coming soon, and I'll be graduating. I already planned on moving out and getting a place of my own. Keith could move in with me."

The others were silent for a moment before Keith tried to stammer a response. "B-but I w-wo-"

Shiro held up a hand to stop him. "Don't worry about having to pay for bills or groceries and other things. I've got that covered. Plus, the Galaxy Garrison Flight School is also going to be paying for a lot of my living expenses. I'm going to be attending there this fall on a full-ride scholarship.

Keith was staring at Shiro in awe. Keith already looked up to Shiro as a superior officer in ROTC. Now… Shiro has now become his hero and brother. Keith felt more tears falling and buried his face in his hands. "This is so stupid." The others could barely hear his muffled words. "I just can't seem to stop crying."

Lance began rubbing his back, and before he knew it, he was being surrounded in a group hug by all of his friends family. His new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well… I hope it doesn't seem like a rushed ending. :/ This is how I actually planned on ending the story. There is an epilogue coming up soon. Those of you who are following my Violet Transformation fic, that is the next on I will be working on. Anyway, until next chapter,  
> NyteXade


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter and epilogue of Keith's story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a little short and sorry for the long break! But good news! I have officially started on the sequel to Violet Transformation! The first chapter should be up soon!

_4 years later: nearing the end of their first year at the Galaxy Garrison._

"Keith! Hey, Keith!"

Keith turned around to find Shiro running down the hall to him. "Oh. Hey Shiro."

Shiro slowed and fell into step beside Keith as he continued to his next destination. "I just heard. Congratulations! You got the highest score on the simulator. You even beat _my_ score!" He threw an arm around Keith's neck and rubbed his knuckles into his long hair.

"Hey. Hey!" Keith pulled himself out of Shiro's hold.

Shiro laughed. "They're calling you 'the best pilot of your generation'."

"Yea, I heard about that." Keith smiled. "How 'bout you? I heard you got your first mission. A mission to Kerberos? And with Pidge's brother and father. That's cool." He nudged Shiro with his elbow. "Pidge hasn't shut up about it."

"Hey!"

They both turned around to find Hunk and Lance approaching.

"Hey Keith, congrats on your score." Hunk clapped the smaller boy on the back making him stumble forward a bit.

"Ha! 'Best pilot of our generation'? I could beat that score!" Lance laughed.

"Oh really?" Keith smirked "Cargo pilot." He poked a finger to Lance's chest.

Lance crossed his arms over his chest, pushing Keith's hand out of the way. "Yea, well, they're just afraid of how good a pilot I really am. They're just trying to spare your feelings."

Keith couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Yea, right."

"Oh geez. Would you two just kiss already?" Hunk crossed his arms, shaking his head.

Sure enough, the two boys locked lips.

Not long later, the Kerberos mission failed due to 'pilot error' and the whole crew went missing. After attacking Commander Iverson for accusing pilot error on the mission, Keith was kicked out of the Garrison. Lance and the others didn't hear from him again until Shiro suddenly crash landed back on Earth, and they later found the Blue Lion. After that, they were all their own family, along with Princess Allura and Coran. Keith buried the memories of his past and only returned to them during some particularly dark nights. Lance, however, was always there to bring him back, forever being his light in the darkness. Forever being…

His Moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is, a bit of a short epilogue but I hope you all liked it. This fiction is officially completed! A long road though it was, it's been interesting. Now I can put my focus towards my Violet Transformation sequel while also finishing my 100 theme challenge for Blue Exorcist. Until next time,  
> NyteXade


End file.
